


Stablehands + Stable Homes

by dickgrysvn



Series: Stablehand + Stable Homes [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: (not graphic), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Jack Dalton (MacGyver 2016), jack owns a stable, james macgyver is a butthead, mac is his stablehand, teen!mac au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 00:26:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17294171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dickgrysvn/pseuds/dickgrysvn
Summary: Jack Dalton never really thought of himself as the fatherly type. Sure, he liked kids and they liked him, but with the life that he’s led and the scars he’s got, it just wasn’t ever on his mind. Horses were his kids, and that’s how he thought he’d always be. Until he met the hamburger kid. Also known as Angus MacGyver— teen-aged genius, limbs too long for his own good, skinny as a rail, blond hair that hadn’t ever seen the sharp end of anything, always sporting a new bruise in evidence of his massive clumsiness. From the moment the then-fifteen-year-old came into his life, Jack felt a fierce need to protect this kid from everything the world could ever throw at him. Jack tried to avoid it, hereallytried. But he just couldn’t help the way this kid practically tripped and landed right into his heart and, quite literally, his arms.——————(teenaged Mac, ex-delta stable owner Jack au)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It’s FINALLY here! If any of you were following my writing process over on tumblr, you’ll know just how much has gone into this. This started as a whump prompt, and suddenly this au was born. It went from a simple scene to a multi-chapter, 25k project and I have never stuck with something this huge for this long. I’m so so proud of this, and excited for you all to read it!! Huge thanks to altschmerzes for all her help with some of the more technical elements of this fic. Enjoy!

 Jack Dalton never really thought of himself as the fatherly type. Sure, he liked kids and they liked him, but with the life that he’s led and the scars he’s got, it just wasn’t ever on his mind. Horses were his kids, and that’s how he thought he’d always be. Until he met the hamburger kid. Also known as Angus MacGyver— teen-aged genius, limbs too long for his own good, skinny as a rail, blond hair that hadn’t ever seen the sharp end of _anything_ , always sporting a new bruise in evidence of his massive clumsiness. From the moment the then-fifteen-year-old came into his life, Jack felt a fierce need to protect this kid from everything the world could ever throw at him. Jack tried to avoid it, he _really_ tried. But he just couldn’t help the way this kid practically tripped and landed right into his heart and, quite literally, his arms.

 

 Jack smiles to himself as he remembers that day exactly a year ago, pushing open the door to his office. He breathes in the smell of the horses, listens to the sounds of them greeting the morning. His soft smile breaks into a grin when he hears Pepper make that ear-splitting whistle he’s never heard any horse make before. He shakes his head with a chuckle. _Mac’s here._ The sound of Mac’s loud laughter as he greets the giant black and white mare is one of the best sounds Jack thinks he’s ever heard in his life. He starts up the coffee pot, making sure there’s enough coffee for both him and the bottomless caffeine tank who’s currently outside with the horses. He has no idea how the kid’s even still alive with the amount of caffeine he actually consumes. Jack’s just pushing the brew button when Mac suddenly yells out for him.

 “Hey, Jack? Pepper broke her stall door again!” Jack groans and makes his way out to where Mac is sheepishly standing in front of the offending door that’s now hanging slightly off its hinges. Jack just stands there for a second, taking in the damage before meeting Mac’s blue eyes. He does a tiny double take at the faint bruise that’s starting to show just under his left eye. He lifts his eyebrows just a fraction, knowing Mac will know exactly what he’s asking. Sure enough, Mac quickly looks away, shifting awkwardly. “It’s nothing, I tripped in the dark getting ready this morning,” he mumbles quietly, and Jack sighs. _This kid is gonna kill himself one of these days._

 “Geez, Mac, do I need to wrap you in bubble wrap?” Mac whips his head up indignantly, a protest on his lips, and Jack throws his hands up to stall him. “Whoa, kid, I’m kidding!” Mac’s eyes widen in response, and he looks even more insulted than before.

 “Did you just… _whoa_ me? Like I’m one of your _horses_ ?” He sounds so utterly appalled and so _young_ that Jack can’t help it. He bursts out laughing, doubling over to rest his hands on his knees as he laughs uncontrollably. It takes a second, but Mac slowly starts chuckling until both of them are sprawled out on the dirt, laughing so hard they can’t even breathe. Jack finally gets control of his laughter and sits up slowly, wiping tears from his eyes.

 “Dude, you shoulda seen the look on your face, man. You looked like a puppy somebody just took their favorite toy away from!”

 “I did not!” Mac sits up spluttering, but Jack can see he’s still laughing. There’s no weight to his protests anymore, and they both know it. Jack stands up first and reaches a hand out to help the lanky teen, but Mac’s already pulling himself clumsily to his feet. Respecting Mac’s fierce independent streak, he steps back and lets the kid do it himself. But spending almost every day with Mac for the last year has taught him a thing or two, so when the kid stands upright and immediately sways, Jack’s right there to steady him. But when Jack reaches out to grab his arms, Mac seems to flinch and pull away, nearly sending himself to the floor again. Jack’s immediately concerned, and he gently takes Mac’s slender shoulders and guides him to a nearby hay bale. Mac tries to wave him off but he’s gone incredibly pale, and he looks close to passing out.

 “Mac, buddy? You alright?” Jack crouches in front of the teen, eyes scanning every inch of his face. His eyes pass over the bruise again and for a brief second, he entertains the idea of a concussion. But then Mac blinks and his eyes seem to dilate normally, and he switches tracks. “Did you eat anything this morning, kid?” He’s pretty sure he already knows the answer, but he asks anyway. Mac looks away again, and Jack sighs. It’s barely 6:30 am, so Mac might have been a tad hungry, but it didn’t explain how completely nauseous the kid looks. But Jack knows Mac’s habits, and he already has a follow-up question. He wishes he didn't have to ask this, but he knows his boy ( _His boy? Where did that come from? It fits, he supposes),_ and knows this is the only other explanation. “Mac,” he says gently, “Look at me please.” Mac looks up slowly, but he still has trouble looking Jack in the eye. Jack waits until he has Mac’s full attention before continuing. “When was the last time you ate?” He keeps his tone gentle, unconsciously adopting the one he always uses when calming a spooked horse. Working with a skittish Mac was in all aspects so similar to working with a skittish horse that Jack’s approaches to the two weren’t really that different. Mac lets out a slow exhale, and Jack can barely hear his mumbled answer.

 “Lunch… yesterday at school.” Jack groans and Mac quickly looks away again. Jack runs a hand down his face before taking a steadying breath. He doesn’t ever want to yell at Mac, especially not for something like this. After all, he has his suspicions as to why the kid neglects his own needs so much. He’s not an idiot, he sees the way Mac avoids going home as often as possible. He sees the way the kid won’t look him in the eye when he thinks he’s messed up and is about to get yelled at. So he keeps his voice soft and calm. _Just like the horses._

 “Mac. Buddy. You’ve gotta take better care of yourself. Please,” he adds softly, and Mac flicks his eyes up halfway. Jack ducks his head a bit, trying to catch Mac’s eyes again. It’s quiet for a moment as Mac slowly lets his gaze slide up the rest of the way to meet Jack’s. Jack smiles softly. “At least promise me you’ll try?” Again, it’s quiet for a moment, and then Jack breathes a mental sigh of relief when Mac’s shoulders relax just slightly and he slowly nods. Jack learned early on that he got results– and a much happier Mac when he didn’t lock him into a guarantee. Make the kid more-or-less promise a specific, non-negotiable thing, and he does nothing but hates himself when he can’t deliver perfectly. Again, Jack has a pretty decent idea why that’s an issue. It’s a dark cloud that’s been present in his mind since almost the first day he met Angus Macgyver. But for now, he pushes it aside and focuses on what he can fix in the immediate future. And right now, that means breakfast. He brings a hand up to briefly brush the bruise under Mac’s eye with his thumb before dropping his hands and standing quickly. Something about Mac’s excuse doesn’t sit right with him today. Not after the way he flinched away from him earlier. But he catalogs the bruise and excuses and flinching away for later, and reaches a hand out to Mac. “Come on, kid, let’s get some grub and joe into ya, yeah?”

  


  It had only taken a few months of knowing him for Jack to start keeping the small fridge and cupboards in his office stocked with Mac’s favorite snacks and drinks as well as his own. So after he sits the kid down on the old leather couch in the office, he starts rummaging through his stash, trying to find something a bit more nutritious than just chips and granola bars. He sees Mac eyeing the coffee pot, and he just shakes his head. _Food first, coffee after, kid._ After a minute of searching, Jack finds some of the kid’s favorite strawberry pop tarts and a bag of walnuts. He wishes he had a banana or something to give him, but this should be enough for now. _Maybe I should start keeping some fruit in here._ He snags a bag of jerky for extra protein, and a little for himself too, before heading back to the couch and plopping down next to Mac. The couch is old and plush, with the kind of seats that deflate with a _whoosh_ when you sit down too hard. Sitting down too hard also expands the opposite cushion, and Jack allows himself a self-indulgent chuckle when Mac bounces just a tad as Jack lands. Mac shoots him a half-annoyed, half-amused glare before taking the jerky and immediately chowing down. Jack snatches a piece and sits back in silence, keeping an eye on Mac to make sure he’s actually eating. It’s quiet for a few minutes, minus the sounds of Mac’s eating, before Jack attempts to bring up what was on his mind before this whole fiasco started.

 “So Mac.” He keeps his voice casual, his body language relaxed and casual, but his attention never waivers from the skinny teen at his side as he gauges a reaction. The kid hums softly in acknowledgment, mouth too full of jerky and cashews to respond fully. Jack stifles a chuckle and plows on. “You know what today is?” And for just a fraction of a second, Mac’s jaw stills and his breathing hitches, and if Jack hadn’t been paying such close attention he would’ve missed it entirely. But that fractional reaction is all it takes for Jack to know that Mac knows _exactly_ what day it is. So in the agonizing seconds that follow, he practically wills the kid to speak, to answer, to say _yes._ But Mac swallows hard and shakes his head hesitantly, and Jack wants to scream in frustration but also cry because he knows exactly why Mac is lying. Angus Macgyver has spent the better part of his sixteen years with the assumption that no one would care about him enough to remember that today is the one year anniversary of the day they met. Sixteen-year-old Angus Macgyver, the kindest soul Jack has ever met in his entire life, doesn’t think he’s deserving of anyone’s remembrance, and it cuts Jack to the quick. And the fact that Jack’s pretty sure he knows exactly why the kid even _has_ that assumption just makes his blood boil. _Well, it’s time we bury that assumption, Mac._ He sits forward on the couch and bumps his shoulder into Mac’s, letting a smile slip into his words. “Come on, man! Today’s a year to the day we met, kid!” Mac’s not looking at him, but Jack can still see the way his eyes widen in surprise and he sits up a little straighter. And then, slowly, hesitantly, a smile spreads across Mac’s face and Jack wants to scoop the kid into a bear hug and never let go.

 “You remembered,” he breathes softly, and it’s not a question but Jack hears the pure wonder in the statement. For the umpteenth time in less than an hour, Jack feels a blinding rage towards the man who broke Mac’s belief in himself. James Macgyver has a reckoning coming soon, and Jack’s honestly scared of what he would do to the man if the kid next to him hadn’t already lost one parent. Jack quickly pulls himself back to the present and forces himself to keep the tears at bay. Mac’s facing him now, eyes still wide and awe-filled, and Jack feels such a swell of emotion in his chest that he thinks can really only be described as parental love. All his anger at James is gone, replaced by such immense affection for the teenager sitting next to him that it nearly bowls him over.

 “Yeah, of course I remembered, man! How could I forget the day you _literally_ fell into my arms like freaking Han Solo coming outta the carbonite??” Maybe it’s the Star Wars reference, or maybe it’s his implication the kid was some kind of damsel in distress, but whatever the reason, the look on Mac’s face is once again a mix of amusement and indignation and honestly, that’s all Jack was hoping for. But then he catches the mischievous glint in Mac’s blue eyes and his own eyes narrow slightly.

 “So you’re saying you’re Princess Leia then, Jack?” There’s a smirk in Mac’s voice and Jack tries to act shocked, but he’s too damn proud of his kid for firing back to even be remotely upset. _(His kid. There it is again. That’s gonna have to be addressed later, Jack Dalton.)_ Jack affects an exaggerated air of hurt, slapping a hand to his chest like he’s been physically wounded, and Mac practically falls off the couch laughing.

 “You say that like it’s a bad thing, man! Leia was badass and you know it!” Mac rolls his eyes, but Jack knows he agrees. He’s pretty sure the kid has a crush on young Carrie Fisher, but honestly what straight guy didn’t the first time they saw Star Wars? He’s still smiling as he watches Mac slowly control his laughter, and a pleasant silence settles over them as their laughter dies down. Jack clears his throat, slapping a hand on Mac’s knee as he stands up. “You want some coffee now, kid?” Mac’s head snaps up instantly and he nods enthusiastically, and Jack’s laughing again as he makes his way to the coffee pot. “I swear kid, you’d live off coffee if you could,” he jokes, hoping to get another laugh out of the kid. But he doesn’t answer, and Jack just shrugs. He’s about to turn back to the kid with his coffee when Mac suddenly speaks.

 “Dad doesn’t let me have any at home, says the caffeine makes me too distracted.” There’s a hint of wistfulness in his voice, but the statement is so casual and so _accepted_ that it makes Jack tighten his grip on the mug in his hand. _This_ is something Jack didn’t know, and suddenly all the times the kid guzzled his coffee like it was about to run out are painted in a whole new light. _Geez, kid, what kind of life do you really live at home?_ He’s tried to get the kid to talk about his dad, to complain, or whine, anything but the nonchalant comments he makes that chill Jack to the bone, but Mac never does. Instead he just says things like _“Dad doesn’t like it when I talk about work,”_ or _“Dad says I shouldn’t have to ask for help,”_ or the time he called Jack at 6 am to say _“Dad says I can’t come to work today because I got a C in biology.”_ Jack’s never met James (which in and of itself raises red flags in his mind because what parent doesn’t at least meet with the guy offering his son a job?), but he’d made up his mind he didn’t like the man just a little over a month into meeting Mac.

 

 He doesn’t realize he’s still standing at the coffee pot until he hears Mac call his name softly. He snaps back to the present, schooling his face into a smile and turning back to the blond kid who’s now looking at him a bit concerned. He waves the kid’s concern away and hands him his mug, and Mac’s eyes light up so bright at the coffee in front of him that Jack forgets his anger from before. They sit in another comfortable silence, sipping their coffee and listening to the sounds of the horses that they both love so much. Which brings Jack back to the topic they tried to discuss what feels like years ago, but in actuality was probably only an hour ago. He sets his mug down on the coffee table and stands up.

 “So Pepper broke her door again, huh?” Jack reaches out to take Mac’s mug from him, and the expression on the kid’s face is sheepish all over again.

 “Uhh yeah. She was really excited to see me, I guess, and she kinda kicked the door a bit, and the hinge broke again.” Jack can’t help but chuckle at the mental image. Pepper was Jack’s oldest mare, a bit cantankerous at times and _very_ temperamental. She doesn’t like most people or even animals, but she bonded with Mac instantly. The sound she makes when she sees him is reserved exclusively for Mac, and it’s no surprise she got a bit over anxious to see her favorite boy. He’s still chuckling as he reaches the sink and sets both their mugs in it.

 “Didn’t you just fix it last week? How’d it break again already?” He was pretty sure the same thing happened last week, and Mac ended up having to fix the door then, too. Maybe it was a different hinge. But there’s no immediate answer from Mac, and when Jack turns back around he feels like the air’s been knocked out of him. Mac’s practically folded in on himself on the couch, staring at his hands and twisting them anxiously in his lap. Jack feels like punching himself for being so unbelievably stupid. _You idiot! Of course he’s already blaming himself for this because the horse wanted to see him, and now you’ve implied he didn’t fix the door right the first time!_ Once again, Jack finds himself cursing James, but this time himself, too. He quickly makes his way back over to the couch and sits down next to Mac. He starts to rest a hand on his shoulder, and his stomach turns when the kid flinches just a fraction. He stills for a second but doesn’t move his hand, and when Mac doesn’t make any further reaction he gently starts rubbing circles into Mac’s shoulder with his thumb. “Mac?” he questions, keeping his voice calm and soothing. He knows the best way to deal with this is to let Mac control the conversation.

 “I’m sorry,” he whispers, and Jack’s heart shatters into a million pieces. He’s about to say something when Mac starts rambling, breathy and panicking and arms flailing wildly. Jack’s fairly certain that if he didn’t have a hand on his shoulder right now, the kid would be up and pacing. “I’m so sorry, I thought I fixed it the first time, I could’ve sworn it was right, I don’t know why it didn’t hold, I must’ve done something wrong but I swear I’ll do better next time, I just–” Jack can’t take anymore. He gives in to every instinct screaming at him to hug his kid and wordlessly pulls Mac into the biggest bear hug he’s ever given him. The teen goes absolutely rigid in his hold, but Jack doesn’t let go. Instead, he pulls him in tighter, burying his face into Mac’s shoulder and bringing a hand up to rest on the back of the kid’s neck. To Jack, it feels like the most natural thing in the world, and at this moment he wishes he could do this forever. And then Mac slowly melts in his hold, and he feels skinny arms wrap tight around him and he has to bite his lip to keep from crying. _God, please, if you can hear me, let me love this kid for the rest of my life._

 “Mac,” he says thickly, not making any move to let go. Mac hums absentmindedly into his shoulder, and Jack takes that as his cue to continue. “Listen, buddy, you never, _ever_ have to apologize for something like this. Ok? Not everything goes the way you want it to, kid. You can fix something to the best of your ability, and it can still break. That’s not your fault. That’s _never_ your fault. Okay?” Mac sniffs softly, and Jack holds his breath, praying the kid doesn’t try to move. _Please, just let me hug you a bit longer, kid._ But Mac makes no indication of movement, and Jack holds back his sigh of relief. That relief, however, is quickly shattered by Mac’s next words.

 “Dad says, if something breaks a second time, then you weren’t good enough the first time.” And it’s more Mac’s tone of voice that has Jack seeing red than the actual words. Because Mac sounds so confused, so _broken_ , as if he doesn’t understand why Jack isn’t yelling at him, as if he truly believes that his father’s treatment of him is _normal._ And it scares Jack, because if Mac thinks this is normal, what else happens at home that Mac just accepts as the usual? Jack’s mind flashes to the bruise that’s darkened under Mac’s left eye, to the flinches the kid makes when he gets too close, and he hates himself for the dark places his mind slips to, but how can he be sure he’s not right? Sure, Mac said he tripped today, and maybe that’s true, but he still probably tripped because he was trying to leave before James woke up. Because Jack suspects that James would rather his son stay home and learn his ‘lessons’, but the man knows it would look bad if he didn’t allow his son to have a job. So Jack thinks he’s a bit justified when he practically growls into Mac’s shoulder.

 “I don’t give a _damn_ what your idiotic old man says!” The words suddenly fly out of him, and he winces at how harsh they sound.  But he doesn’t slow down. He can’t, not now. “That’s a toxic mentality to have, and it’s not even remotely realistic. Things break. Sometimes it takes more than one repair. Sometimes they stay broken no matter how hard you try to fix them. And then you either get used to constant repairs, or you get rid of the broken pieces and you start over. You can’t fix everything, Mac, no matter how hard you try,” he finishes softly, hoping to better drive his point home with warmth rather than fire. He closes his eyes and breathes, head still tucked against the teen’s, hand still in his hair. He prays Mac doesn’t get upset at him for calling his dad an idiot, but he couldn’t help it. James fills him with a rage Jack hasn’t felt since he was in the Army, whenever he had to interact with one of the many narcissistic, manipulative bastards they had the misfortune to call their CO. For a minute, it’s quiet except for the sounds of their breathing, and then Mac wordlessly tucks his head tighter into Jack’s shoulder, and this time Jack can’t stop the few tears that fall.

 “Thank you, Jack,” comes the muffled whisper from his shoulder, and if Jack could hold him any tighter, he would. He settles for slowly rubbing the kid’s back, leaning back against the arm of the couch behind him.

 “For what? I just said what anybody in their right mind would tell ya.” He doesn’t want to write this off, but at the same time, he wants Mac to realize that his view on things, his _dad’s_ view on things, is in no way normal.

 “Hmmm maybe.” Mac’s voice is almost slurred, thick with exhaustion, more emotional than anything else, and Jack swears he sounds all of twelve years old. “But you’re the one who’s telling me right now.” He goes quiet again and tightens his hold on Jack, and they both sit in silence, relishing in the comfort of each other. Jack’s not sure how long they sit there, but at some point Mac actually falls asleep, his breathing deep and even. Jack smiles softly to himself before checking his watch. _Shoot!_ He nearly bolts upright, remembering the sleeping kid tangled in his arms at the last minute. _We open in 15 minutes! I’ve got a lesson in a half hour!_ He hates to wake Mac up, but he knows they’ve got to get a move on or they’re never gonna have Archimedes tacked up in time for Sadie Carson’s lesson at 8:15. So he softly pats the kid on the back and calls his name.

 “Mac, buddy. You gotta wake up, kid,” he calls gently, and Mac stirs slightly before humming in his usual adorable way.

 “Mmm ‘m awake,” he mumbles, but he makes no effort to get up, and Jack chuckles.

 “Yeah, I can see that,” he sasses humorously, and there’s no bite in it. “Come on, bud, you gotta get Archimedes tacked up for Sadie, I’ve got a lesson soon, remember?” The mention of his favorite gelding (and the older girl Jack’s fairly certain Mac has a crush on) is what gets Mac to fully wake up. He sits up quickly, blushing as he realizes he was practically drooling on Jack’s shoulder and tries to tame his ruffled hair. Jack watches him, feeling more happiness than he has in a long time, before giving in and helping the poor kid’s failing attempts. “Hey, stop it!” He playfully smacks Mac’s hand away when the kid attempts to slick his hair flat with his own saliva. “That’s disgusting, kid. Go get the gel that’s in my desk drawer, and please never do that again,” he grumbles, waving the kid off, and Mac grins cheekily as he stumbles off the couch and heads over to the desk. Again, Jack’s hit with such a rush of affection for Mac that he’s almost certain it will physically knock him over. He groans as he gets up slowly off the couch, and he shoots Mac a glare when the kid laughs loudly from across the room. “Excuse me, mister, you just drooled on my shoulder and tried to fix your hair with your own spit, you don’t have the right to mock me,” he says tersely, and Mac has the good sense to at least blush again, but he doesn’t stop smiling. “Just finish getting dolled up for your lady friend and then go get Archie ready, I’m gonna go feed the boarders, alright?” He turns to leave, but he doesn’t miss Mac stick his tongue out at him. “I saw that!” Mac breaks into another fit of giggles, and Jack just shakes his head as he leaves the office, Mac’s obnoxious and infectious laughter following him the whole way.

  

 

 Later that night, Jack sits on the couch in his apartment, the echo of Mac’s laughter still ringing in his head. He smiles to himself as he pulls out his phone, opening it to the photo gallery and staring fondly at the latest addition. He adds it to the ever-growing album labeled with a single puppy emoji before scrolling through the rest of the collection of photos. He stops on the first picture ever added to the album, taken the same day he first met Mac. The kid’s hair is shorter, heck, _he’s_ shorter, and he’s standing with his hand on Pepper’s nose, eyes wide and sparkling. His smile is so wide Jack thinks it’s a miracle it didn’t get _stuck_ that way after, and he’s hit with such a wave of delayed affection he feels like he’s drowning.  When Jack had taken this picture a year ago, he had no idea just how much the scrawny fifteen-year-old was going to mean to him in just a few months. Actually, he’s fairly certain he had at least a gut feeling, or he probably would’ve never taken the picture. His reasoning at the time had been the way Pepper had voluntarily nuzzled her nose into Mac’s outstretched hand, a phenomenon for the massive mare he’d never seen before. He was so surprised by his girl’s behavior he’d instantly pulled out his phone to take a picture. But looking back on it now, Jack thinks that maybe the reason he’d snapped that shot had been because of the way Mac’s entire demeanor changed when Pepper’s nose met his hand. When Mac had first walked into his stable, he’d been trailing shyly behind one of Jack’s monthly students, a seventeen-year-old kid named Wilt Bozer. _These poor kids and their unfortunate first names,_ Jack thinks with a smile, remembering that day like it was yesterday. Unbidden, his mind plays that day out like again like an old movie reel.

 

_When Bozer goes to tack up the school horse  he usually rides, Mac makes as if to follow him before something else catches his attention. Curious, Jack leans against the wall and watches the kid silently make his way over to the closest stall. It had been empty for weeks, one of the boarded horses had gotten skittish and busted the lock, and Jack hadn’t ever gotten around to fixing it. (It wasn’t that he was lazy, he just hadn’t been able to find a replacement bolt anywhere and he was going to have to order one.) But Mac heads straight for the door, crouching down to investigate the lock. Jack watches as the kid tilts his head from side to side, reaching out to fiddle with the lock. Jack wordlessly moves closer, trying to see better, and the kid suddenly stands up and begins looking around intently. Completely oblivious to Jack watching nearby, he apparently finds whatever he was looking for and quickly makes his way over to the bin in a far corner that’s stuffed with broken pieces of tack and tools. He digs around for a minute before coming up with a broken piece of an old bit, looking immensely satisfied for someone holding a broken piece of useless metal. But something tells Jack that this kid looks at that broken bit and sees something else entirely. He realizes he’s seen that look before, in some of the old EOD techs he knew from his Delta days. They used to look at random odds and ends around them the same way; as if they were seeing a solution to a problem when the rest of the world saw nothing but trash. Jack is completely invested now, so when the kid gets up and starts to head back to the broken door, Jack stops trying to be casual and moves to meet him. Jack gets to the door before the kid, and Mac doesn’t notice him until he’s almost there, and even then he only notices him because he suddenly trips over his own two feet and tumbles right into Jack’s arms._

_“Whoa, kid, you okay?” Jack steadies the kid on his feet, chuckling as he watches him blush and look anywhere but at Jack. “Mac, right?” The kid nods jerkily, still not looking at him, and Jack slowly takes his hands off his shoulders. Mac looks down at the bit in his hands, fidgeting nervously, and Jack decides to get right to his point. “Well don’t let me stop ya, I’m damned curious to see what you’re gonna do with that broken bit,” he drawls casually, taking a step back and gesturing at the lock. Mac looks up at him, seemingly surprised, before cracking a tiny smile and bending down to examine the lock again. Jack doesn’t say another word as he watches the kid work, and really he wouldn’t have been able to come up with anything to say anyway. Mac quickly rigs a way to replace the broken bolt with the piece of bit, and when he’s finished he starts testing it. He locks and unlocks it several times, locking it again and pulling on the door to test if it will hold. The entire time he has such an intense look of focus on his face, but it’s one of pure enjoyment, and Jack can’t help but smile as he watches him work. When the kid is satisfied that it will hold, he stands up and brushes his hands off on his jeans before turning to Jack._

  _“Sorry about that, sir, I just saw how I could fix it and–” he trails off hesitantly, nervously twisting his hands, and Jack quickly shakes his head._

  _“Mac, first off, you can call me Jack. I spent 16 years in the military, I’ve heard plenty enough ‘sir’s’ in my lifetime. Second, I’m seriously impressed. That lock’s been broken for over a week and I’ve tried every way I could to fix it with no luck. I’d finally resigned myself to having to order a new one, so I’m more than grateful.” He pauses then, a half-baked, hair-brained idea suddenly forming in his mind. “Listen, kid, you got a job?” Honestly, he knows he’s crazy, but something about offering the skinny blond kid in front of him a job just feels_ right _. Mac starts in surprise, furrowing his brows a fraction before hesitantly shaking his head. Again, Jack has no idea why he’s suddenly saying this, but he can’t stop himself. “You interested in helping me out around here? I could use a stable hand, especially one as inventive and handy as you.” Jack finds himself actually holding his breath waiting for the kid’s response, and he can see the gears turning in Mac’s head as he thinks._

 _“Umm I mean, I don’t know much about horses, I’ve always liked them but— And I’d have to make sure my dad is okay with it, I don’t know if he’d be okay with me having less time to study but, um, if he’s ok with it, yeah, I’d like to, definitely.” It’s more words in 15 seconds than the boy has said in the entire 15 minutes he’d been here, and Jack can’t help but grin at how adorable he is. Still grinning, he reaches a hand out and Mac slowly shakes it. A fraction of a smile slides onto his face, and Jack suddenly decides to make it his mission to get Mac to crack a real grin. He slaps a hand onto his shoulder, not missing the way the kid stiffens just slightly at the contact, but he keeps it there until the kid slowly relaxes a bit._ Interesting, _he thinks. But he moves on, guiding Mac down the row of stalls and around the corner to where Bozer is just finishing tacking up a small blue roan._

_“Hey Boze!” The older boy looks up, smiling when he sees the two of them. “Mac here says he’ll be my stable hand if his dad’s okay with it,” he says proudly, and Mac flashes another small smile. Bozer, however, straight up grins, jogging over to them and giving Mac a hi-five._

_“Dude! That’s awesome!” Jack watches them, smiling softly. He’s still got his hand on Mac’s shoulder, and he removes it then as Bozer pulls Mac into a quick side hug. “I had a feeling you two would get along, Jack. I don’t know why, I just did, ya know?” Bozer grins again before heading back over to his horse._

_“Alright Bozer, go ahead and take her out to the ring, get some warmups going, I’m gonna introduce Mac to a couple of the gals and guys and then we’ll meet ya there, bud.” Bozer nods excitedly before clicking his tongue at the roan, guiding her out towards the outdoor ring. Jack turns back to the kid at his side with a half-expectant look on his face. Jack grins. He knows exactly who to introduce first. “How would you like to meet the queen of Dalton Stables, kiddo?”_

  


 Jack’s focus shifts back to the present as his memory catches up to the photo he’s looking at, and he quickly hits the share button. It’s almost eleven, but he’s pretty sure the kid’s still up. He types up a caption and hits send.

 

 **Jack:** _Look at you! You’re so tiny!!_

 

 Not even ten seconds later, Mac’s typing back.

 

 **Baby Genius:** _oh my gosh. Is that the first day we met? I can’t believe you took a picture!!_

 

 **Jack:** _Uhhh duhh?? The look on your face was priceless, dude._

 

 **Baby Genius:** _I want to be mad but honestly I’m glad you sent this._

 **Baby Genius:** _Thanks, Jack._

 

 Jack stares at his phone, a million emotions running through his brain.

 

 **Jack:** _You’re welcome, Mac._

 **Jack:** _And kid?_

 **Jack:** _I love you._

 

 Jack holds his breath, waiting for Mac’s response. He’s never said it before, he doesn’t know where it came from ( _like hell you don’t, Jack Dalton_ ), but it felt right. He has no idea how Mac will respond, and it’s an agonizing thirty seconds before the bubbles indicate Mac’s texting back. It’s another agonizing ten seconds as they float there, and then Mac’s response pops up.

 

 **Baby Genius:** _I love you too, Jack._

 

 Jack feels like a weight’s been lifted off his shoulders, and he leans his head back onto the couch and closes his eyes. _I love you too, Jack._ The words rattle around his brain like a pinball, and Jack can’t help it when a few tears leak out from his closed eyelids. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes, looking back at his phone again. There’s another message from Mac.

 

 **Baby Genius:** _Jack?_

 

 Jack rubs his eyes and types a response.

 

 **Jack** **:** _Yeah kid?_

 

 **Baby Genius:** _thank you. for everything._

 

 Jack wants to sob.

 

 **Jack:** _I’m glad I met ya, kiddo._

 

 He waits for a second, before typing again.

 

 **Jack:** _Did you eat anything tonight?_

 

 **Baby Genius:** _yeah. I promised I’d do_ _better, remember?_

 

 **Jack:** _Hey, I’m just lookin out for you, bud._

 **Jack:** _don’t forget to eat something tomorrow, okay?_

 

 **Baby Genius:** _I’m rolling my eyes at you right now_

 

 **Jack:** _Excuse me young man, don’t you dare roll your eyes at me_

 

 **Baby Genius:** _okay okay,_ _geez, sorry dad :P_

 

 Jack’s breath catches in his throat when he reads that last text, and he stares numbly at his phone. _Sorry dad. Sorry dad. Sorry dad._ The words are like a pounding drum in his head, and he finds it difficult to do anything but replay them over and over. He knows, obviously, that Mac is joking, mocking his own fake sternness with the same kind of sarcasm they both thrive on. But it doesn’t stop him from feeling a certain thrill at the words, no matter how fake they are. At that moment, staring at the words on his screen so long they almost lose all literal meaning, he realizes what he’s known deep down for nearly a year. Whether he’d meant for it to happen or not, Jack Dalton had started thinking of Mac as his kid, his boy, his _son._ He pulls himself away from his thoughts long enough to respond to Mac before he ignores the kid entirely.

 

 **Jack:** _good boy. listen, you get some sleep ok? I’ll talk to you tomorrow._

 **Jack:** _Goodnight, Mac._

 

 **Baby Genius:** _Goodnight, Jack :)_

 

 Jack almost starts crying again at the little emoticon, because of course the kid still insists on making his own even though there are literally hundreds of emojis right on his phone. He quickly locks his phone and stands up, rubbing his hands through his hair and starting to pace wildly. Because much like it did a year ago, his brain is concocting the most insane, most unrealistic plan it’s ever come up with. And just like a year ago, Jack knows it’s crazy, but he also knows it just feels _right._

 

  
  
 When he goes to bed nearly an hour later, he’s got a shell of a plan, ready to be fully fleshed out should James ever give him one good reason. And the more he goes over everything today, and all the things he’s noticed but tried to find excuses for since that first day, the more he’s convinced that he’s already got one. It’s not a pleasant thought at all, in fact, it makes his stomach turn and his blood run ice-cold, but it at least makes Jack feel better knowing he has a contingency plan in place if (and, he hates to think, _when_ ) the need ever arises. So Jack falls asleep thinking about his kid, confident in the knowledge that he’ll do anything and everything he can to keep his boy safe, with Mac’s words bouncing pleasantly around his brain _. I love you too, Jack. Dad. I love you. Dad. I love you. Dad._  


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a bit of physical abuse in this chapter, so if that bothers you please be aware. 
> 
> (The rest of the chapters switch pov a bit)

_  I love you.  _

 

 It’s been days, but even in his dreams, Mac hasn’t been able to get those three little words out of his head. It’s not like no one’s ever said that to him before. His dad has said it to him, but the more he thinks about it the more he realizes just how different it feels when his dad says it. Mac can’t remember the last time he heard his dad say those words without it being preceded or followed by some form of criticism or thinly-veiled insult.  _ “Now you know I love you, Angus, but this kind of failure is absolutely unacceptable.”  _ Or  _ “If you had been paying attention, you would’ve figured it out. I love you, but you need to do better.”  _ But when Jack said it, there was no condition, no other words. Just  _ “I love you” _ . And he’s not sure what possessed him to jokingly call Jack ‘dad’, but something about it felt just inherently  _ right.  _ And yet, he almost wishes he hadn’t. Because now that it’s been said, even as a joke, the idea of Jack being his father is so appealing and yet so unbelievably unrealistic it’s almost physically painful. And Mac immediately feels guilty for wishing that his own dad wasn’t his dad that he locks that thought away in a tiny, dark corner of his mind. But even then it’s still there, lurking, and Mac knows he’ll never be able to truly get rid of it. So he does the only thing he knows how to do to keep those thoughts and feelings at bay. He shuts Jack out. It’s something he’s done for years, with anyone his stupid heart ever tries to open up to. He did it with Bozer, a few months after they met. Bozer had casually called him his brother, that he was part of the Bozer family now. Mac felt so guilty for wishing it was really true that he shut him out for a week. It wasn’t until Bozer actually started crying over Mac shutting him out that he realized he couldn’t keep doing that to his best friend. (Mac never told him why he really shut him out. He told Bozer he was scared letting him in would make losing him hurt worse. Which wasn’t exactly a lie.)

 

 But Mac knows this situation with Jack, this is different. Before he met Jack, James was the only example of a father Mac had in his life. Bozer’s dad had left them when Bozer was six, so he’d never been able to see what someone else’s dad was like. And then he met Jack. And even before he started thinking of Jack as a father figure ( _ Honestly, when did that happen? Maybe I’ve always thought of him that way and didn’t even realize it.) _ , Jack talked about his own dad enough that Mac got a good sense of what he was like. He remembers Jack telling him about the time he didn’t fix a fence right when he was sixteen and one of their horses got out. 

 

_  “Now, Pops shoulda been livid, ya know? He had every right to be pissed that a horse got out. I hadn’t fixed it right and I was sure I was gonna get a lickin’. But my pops, he just sat me down and asked me why I’d messed up. I told him the truth, that I just I forgot how to do it right, and he said to me, ‘Son, sometimes you’re gonna make mistakes in life, and that’s okay. The important thing is knowing how to learn from those mistakes.’ I’ve lived by that motto for the rest of my life.”  _ Or the time when Jack told Mac about the day he learned to swim.  _ “Dad took me out to the lake, and we stood on the beach and he taught me the mechanics of each stroke, what to do to stay afloat, how to tread water. And then we waded in, and when we were in up to my waist, he told me to practice doggie paddle and treading. And when I’d gotten the hang of it, he took me out deeper and he kept his hand under my stomach and let me swim forever until I was ready to do it on my own. It was the best moment of my life, slowly swimming next to him without his hand there. Honestly, I think it was the best moment of  _ his  _ life, too. I can’t remember a time I ever saw him look more proud.” _

 

 It was then that Mac started to realize that not every dad was like his own. Not every dad yelled at their kid for making mistakes, for forgetting, for simply messing up. Some dads taught their kids things, instead of throwing them in the deep end and telling them to figure out how to swim. (Mac vividly remembers the look on Jack’s face when he told him that James did exactly that when he was four. Mac’s never seen Jack look as horrified as he did then.) And it was last night when he realized that some dads don’t hinge their love and affection on success and genius intellect.  _ (You’re literally acting like he’s your father. He’s not and you know it.)  _ But Mac also knows that after last week, he’s never really going to be able to ignore the feeling of calling Jack ‘dad’ gave him. He’s never going to be able to shove the emotion he felt when he read Jack’s ‘I love you’ all the way to the back of his mind. All he can do now is try not to let Jack any closer and hope that he doesn’t make this any worse. 

  
  


 Mac lets a single tear escape onto his pillow before forcing himself to get up. He knows he actually has to go to work today, it’s a Saturday again and if he tells Jack that he can’t come again today he’s risking losing his job. He’s been aching to go to work the whole week, dying to see Jack, but he knows he can’t keep being around Jack, not if he ever wants to truly bury these feelings. He’d actually tried to delete the texts a few days ago but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. So instead he’s called Jack every morning saying he couldn’t come after school because he had too much homework. The first day, Jack had seemed a bit disappointed, but he’d understood. It had twisted something in Mac’s stomach to lie to Jack like that and have him trust him so completely, but he told himself he had no choice. But yesterday, Jack had been a bit more upset after being blown off five days in a row, and Mac knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with skipping work on a weekend. 

 

 His phone chimes as he’s getting dressed, the familiar Wookie growl ringtone indicating that it’s Jack. Unable to help himself, Mac races to his phone to read the message as soon as he gets it. 

 

**Not Han Solo:** _ You coming in today? I miss you :(( _

**Not Han Solo:** _ Everything okay with you, man? _

 

 Mac stares at his phone, wanting nothing more than to type and type and type until he’s said everything that’s been on his mind for the last week. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.  _ Just say you’re coming, and that’s it.  _

 

**Mac:** _ Yeah. I’m good. I’ll see you in a bit. _

 

 It’s impersonal and flat and as cold as Mac dares, and he hates it so much it makes his skin crawl.  _ You have a dad and you have no right to wish he was someone else instead. He’s done everything for you.  _ He throws the phone on his bed and forces himself to ignore the text Jack sends him immediately. If he wants to leave before his dad gets up, he needs to hurry. He flashes back to last Saturday, the day this whole mess started, and he closes his eyes as he remembers the way his dad yelled at him that morning. 

 

_  Mac stalks quietly towards the kitchen, pausing for a second to debate if he wants to risk spending the time to get food. He immediately decides against it. It’s best to be gone before James wakes up. Too late, he realizes that there’s a light on in the kitchen already, and he comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of his dad standing by the counter, arms crossed and face darker than the sky outside.  _

_  “Uh.. morning, Dad. You’re up early,” Mac tries easily, praying James will just let him leave without a fight. He hates how much time Mac spends at the stable. But James’ scowl gets even darker, and Mac swallows nervously.  _

_  “I thought I told you I wanted you home today?” It’s phrased as a question, but Mac knows it most definitely isn’t a question. He quickly flashes back to a very one-sided conversation a few days ago, where James said something about staying home because there was a special project he needed Mac’s help with. It had completely slipped his mind, and Mac winces in response.  _

_  “I’m so sorry, Dad, I completely forgot about that. I promised Jack I’d help with the lessons today, but I’m off tomorrow?” Suddenly, without warning, James explodes. Mac jumps in surprise as James starts roaring.  _

  _“Damn it, Angus! I’m sick and tired of this! I let you have this job, against my better judgment mind you, under the impression that you would consider my requests when I ask!” Mac jumps again as James slams his hand on the counter._

  _“I-I know, Dad, and I’m sorry I forgot about your project. But Jack needs my help and–” he cuts off with a gasp as James is suddenly across the kitchen, gripping his bicep tightly._

  _“I don’t care about Jack Dalton, Angus. I’m your father, and I specifically asked for your help with this project. It’s crucial to my promotion at work, and I need you to do all the mechanics so I can focus on the presentation for Monday, do you understand me?” James is nearly growling in his face now, and Mac instinctively tries to shy away. Big mistake. James yells in frustration and shoves Mac sideways, away from him. But Mac had dropped his bag on the floor when James had first started yelling, and he trips over it now. He stumbles, trying desperately to control his descent, but he’s too close to the island in the middle of the kitchen. His cheekbone collides painfully with the edge of the counter, and Mac swallows his cry of pain as he lands in a heap on the floor. Mac knows from experience that any sign of physical weakness in front of James just makes things worse. So he silently collects himself up off the floor as James once again glares at him from across the kitchen. It’s silent for a minute, and then James bends over and grabs Mac’s bag from the floor. Without warning, he throws it at Mac, and it takes every bit of his limited coordination to catch it and stay on his feet. And then James is turning his back on him. “Fine. Whatever. Go help that idiot grunt Dalton. Just don’t expect any dinner when you come home.” Mac doesn’t argue, he turns tail and runs, and he doesn’t stop till he reaches the bus stop. He climbs on his bus and keeps his head down the whole way, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. It isn’t until he’s gotten off and is waking the last ten minutes to the stable that he lets himself break a bit. He gives in to the pain in his cheek and bicep, letting a few tears fall before he has to put on a tough face for Jack. No weakness, it just makes things worse._

 

 That memory contrasts so violently with the one immediately following, that for the first time in his young life Mac allows himself to think that he might just be in one of those abusive homes he always hears about.  _ No. Dad loves me. I know he does. He had every right to be angry that day, I forgot about his project. I was wrong… Right?  _ After this last week, Mac isn’t sure what to think anymore, and it’s all starting to make his head hurt. Right now, all he knows is that he’s definitely not in the mood for another showdown with his dad about work today. Mac snags his phone off the bed and looks at the time, trying to ignore the text from Jack. He reads the time– 5:30. _ Bus leaves in 10 minutes _ . But he can’t stop his eyes from reading Jack’s text. 

 

**Not Han Solo:** _ I know you’re not good, but we’ll talk when I see you. Not debatable.  _

**Not Han Solo:** _ And get here quick, I need to hug your skinny stupid self.  _

 

 There’s a skeleton emoji tacked onto the last text, and Mac can’t help the snort that escapes him as he reads it. Mac’s pretty sure Jack’s favorite pastime is “how many times can I mention how skinny Mac is in one day”. But then the first part of the message sinks in, and Mac’s stomach turns unpleasantly.  _ This is gonna be an interesting day _ . And it instantly becomes a nightmare day when Mac walks into the kitchen to find his dad once again standing there, another black scowl on his face.  _ Oh no _ . 

  
  
  


 Mac takes one look at his dad’s face and something deep in his gut twists into a painful knot. The look on James’ face is like nothing Mac’s ever seen before, and for the first time since he was six Mac’s actually scared of what his dad might do to him. Mac briefly remembers those first few months after his mom died when James changed so drastically. When his dad went from being warm and happy to cold and angry, when he went from hugging Mac and ruffling his hair to shoving him and grabbing him too tight. Mac remembers being confused and scared at first, and then his young brain quickly accepted it and moved on, shoving the happier memories to some corner of his mind. But now, standing frozen in the kitchen with James glaring at him, Mac feels like he’s six all over again, terrified of his father and the cold look in his eyes. 

 James shoves himself forward off the counter and uncrosses his arms, and Mac suddenly unfreezes just enough to subconsciously take a tiny step backward. He immediately winces, praying James hasn’t noticed.  _ No such luck.  _

 “Don’t you dare back away from me, Angus.” He’s not yelling, and that’s almost worse. His voice is steely, steady and icy and Mac almost shivers.  _ Just don’t give him a reason to grab you.  _ Mac starts wracking his brain to figure out just why James is so angry, but he just comes up empty. And that makes him even more nervous. Whenever Mac has no idea why his dad is mad, the situation always escalates into a more physical altercation. James always gets angry when Mac doesn’t know something, and this is no exception. Mac finds himself wishing Jack were here, but he quickly squashes that thought.  _ Focus on keeping him calm _ . 

 “Is everything okay, Dad?” He hates the slight tremble he hears in his own voice, but it’s all he can do to just stand still. Every cell in his body is  _ screaming  _ for him to run, to get out, to get to Jack. But something tells him that if he tries to run now, he’ll be signing his own death warrant. So he stays, but he imagines the best way to get away if this goes the way he’s got a sinking feeling it will.

 James’ scowl turns into a twisted smirk, and he stalks closer. 

 “Please, like you don’t know?” Mac can’t help it when his eyes widen. There’s so much  _ disgust _ in his dad’s voice it shocks him. James seems so sure that Mac knows it just confuses him even more.

 “I-I don’t understand, what—”

 “DON’T PLAY STUPID WITH ME, ANGUS!” James is suddenly shouting louder than Mac’s ever heard him, and he really can’t stop himself now when he jumps back. But James just steps closer, and Mac has to force himself not to move backwards with him. And he knows he should keep his mouth shut, he  _ knows _ , but he’s never been good at doing what he’s supposed to.

 “I’m not playing, Dad, I don’t–” he cuts off with a sharp cry as James’ hand connects with his cheek. The slap whips his head to the side, and it stings so hard it nearly brings tears to his eyes. He’s dealt with some of James’ slaps before, but they’ve never been this hard, and James has never seemed this violently angry _.  _ He can’t stop the slight whimper that escapes as him as he unconsciously curls away from James. And then suddenly James is grabbing his chin in a vice-like grip, forcing Mac to face him. Mac knows he’s trembling, he can feel it. James’ fingers dig into both sides of his jaw, and Mac stares up at him wide-eyed. He wants to close his eyes, wants to curl up and cry, but he knows that will only make this worse. So he forces himself to meet his dad’s eyes and try anything he can to calm his dad down. “Dad, I’m sorry,” he mumbles through the grip on his jaw, and James relaxes his fingers slightly. It’s as if the tight grip was numbing most of the pain, because the second the pressure’s released there’s a rush of pain so sharp Mac gasps. James lets go completely, but he doesn’t step back.

 “Fine. You wanna play this game, we can play this game. We went over this last week, Angus. I’m sick of you spending all your time with that–that  _ idiot  _ cowboy, and not your own father! I knew this week was too good to be true, I just  _ knew _ you were gonna go running back to him today.” James turns away in disgust, and Mac stiffens slowly.  _ That’s what this is about?? _ James is threatening him and insulting Jack because he’s  _ jealous? _

 “Jack isn’t an idiot,” he growls, all thoughts of self-preservation gone. “He’s kind, and genuine, and caring, and smart, and a  _ war vet _ , and you know what? He’s been a better father figure to me this last year than you’ve been in ten!” He’s screaming now, fists clenched and voice raw, his pain forgotten as he pours every bit of fear and anger he has towards his dad into his words. And the second they leave his mouth, he knows they’re true. Jack has been a better father to him than James has ever been, he’s just been too scared to admit it. But now he’s just said it to his dad, and he knows he’s in trouble. It’s silent for a moment, nothing but the sound of their heavy breathing, and then without warning, James whirls around with a roar and backhands Mac so hard it sends him reeling. Mac slams painfully into the edge of the counter, slumping against it as his head spins and his vision blurs. He doesn’t even have time to stand up before James is on him, grabbing his shirt and shoving him into the counter again.

 “HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR FATHER LIKE THAT, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!” James screams into his face, shaking him harshly, and Mac shuts his eyes tight and braces himself for the fist he’s sure is coming. And then Mac’s phone goes off, Jack’s signature text tone. The sound of the Wookie roar cuts through the moment like a hot knife, and both of them freeze. “Let me guess, your  _ “war vet _ ?” James snarls, and Mac flinches. His face is on fire, he’s pretty sure his lip is bleeding and he knows he has bruises on his jaw and cheek, and his side and back are throbbing from his collisions with the counter. And then James growls violently and shoves Mac away from him. His lower body is already shoved up against the counter, so only Mac’s top half can move. His head whips backward with the momentum, cracking sharply on the cabinets behind him. He stifles a cry of pain as James steps away from him, and just barely keeps himself from falling to the floor. He chances a look up, and he realizes his left eye is already swelling shut. James has his back to him, breathing heavily, and Mac lets himself slump against the counter again, every ounce of strength he has gone. He fishes for his phone, fumbling with the passcode as his hands shake.  _ I missed my bus _ , he notices blankly. And then he reads Jack’s message.

 

 **Not Han Solo:** _Everything okay? You’re not usually late, kiddo._

 

 Mac wants to laugh, wants to tease Jack for being such a dad, because at the moment he’s only five minutes late, but instead he just chokes out a broken sob. He sniffs quickly, shoving his phone back into his pocket and pushing himself up off the counter. His side screams in protest, and Mac wants to cry again. But he forces himself to stand, taking a couple unsteady steps over to where his bag is laying on the floor. James still hasn’t moved, and Mac steels his nerves and walks past him. He doesn’t look at him, he can’t, not now. He has to get out, he has to get to Jack. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to come home tonight, but right now he just knows he needs  _ out.  _ He’s missed his bus, he knows, but there’s another one in a half hour, and Mac can wait. He’s almost at the door when James speaks. 

 “If you leave now I can’t guarantee I’ll let you back in,” he threatens, voice hard and emotionless, as if this is just something you do when you’ve just beat your son. Mac feels such a rush of anger for the man who’s supposed to be his father then, all thoughts of fear gone for the moment. He stiffens, keeping his back to James.

 “Fine.” And then he keeps walking, out through the kitchen and the hallway and out the front door, and then he’s running and James is yelling after him but he doesn’t listen, he keeps going straight past the bus stop.  _ Just get away, get to Jack. _ That’s all that he thinks about as he runs and runs, feet pounding, body aching, blood running freely from his lip but he can’t stop, he can’t. He runs until his lungs are screaming, and his legs are shaking, and the tears are mixing with the blood and bruises. He runs, and he doesn’t stop until he stumbles through the door to Jack’s office and collapses right into the shocked man’s arms. And then everything goes dark.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 Jack knew something had been up with Mac the last week. He couldn’t help but notice the timing, and he knows it’s just the kid beating himself up with guilt, he _knows_ , but he still feels the sting. He hasn’t come into work since that fateful Saturday, and every day has seen a new, even lamer excuse from the teen. He feels a sense of relief that he says he’s coming in today. _At least that means he can still stand to be around me._

 

 But when 6:10 rolls around and Pepper doesn’t alert him to Mac’s presence, he can’t help the small little seed of doubt that grows. He waits five minutes before sending a text to Mac. And then he waits ten, then fifteen, then twenty. And then it’s 6:45 and there’s still no sign of Mac, not even a reply from the kid. And now Jack’s worried. He tries to keep it down, maybe the kid just missed his bus and had to walk. _But surely he’d text?_ His mind wanders to darker options like Mac being kidnapped, and then his thoughts drift to Mac’s dad. _Could he…?_ But he pushes it all down, convincing himself he’s just overreacting.

 

 And then Pepper starts going crazy, and it’s not her usual greeting but it’s not Mac’s special one either, and Jack turns from where he’s been pacing just as Mac comes tumbling through the door. The mug of coffee slips from Jack’s grip, forgotten, and Jack’s not even aware of it shattering at his feet. Because Mac is wide-eyed and bloody, sweat dripping from his now-dark blond hair, and he looks like he just ran the whole way here. He takes three shaky steps and tips forward, and Jack reaches him just as he collapses.

 “Mac!” He lowers him to the floor, frantically checking his pulse, and the kid whispers his name before his eyes roll back and he passes out, going limp in Jack’s arms. Jack’s on the verge of panicking, but his well-ingrained instincts kick in and take over. He bundles the kid up into his arms, cradling him gently as he walks him over to the couch. Mac stirs as he sets him down, groaning slightly when Jack rests him in his side. Jack’s trying to keep calm, but the sound of Mac in pain is enough to make even Jack break. He quickly blinks away tears as he tries to settle Mac into a position that doesn’t make the teen’s face scrunch up in pain. After a stressful minute, Jack finally gets Mac comfortable, opting to sit on the couch and cradle the boy’s head and shoulders in his lap. He softly taps Mac’s cheek, careful of the ugly bruises blooming across his face.

 “Mac, buddy,” he calls softly, begging him to open his eyes. “Come on, kid, I gotta make sure you’re okay.” Mac groans again, and then his eyelids flutter open. Well, one does. His left eye is swollen shut, a small streak of blood tracing down his cheek to mingle with the blood welling in the split on his lip. Jack feels his stomach turn at the bright red against Mac’s pale face, and he fights to keep his composure for Mac’s sake. “There ya go, bud, lemme see those pretty blue eyes, yeah?” Mac focuses on him, eyes staring in confusion for a second before awareness kicks in. His eyes widen a fraction, and he tries to jolt upright. “Whoa! Hey, kid, calm down. Just stay still,” Jack pleads, resting a gentle hand on Mac’s shoulder and guiding him back down. Mac nods slowly, relaxing into Jack.

 “Jack,” he says simply, and yet it sounds like he’s just won the lottery. Jack’s heart clenches, and once again he’s fighting tears. _What the hell happened, kid?_ He has an idea, an awful, horrible idea that fills him with cold, icy dread, but he has to be sure.

 “Yeah, Mac?” He keeps his voice quiet and light, letting Mac get adjusted before he says any more. Mac just shakes his head minutely.

 “Hmm,” he hums absently. “Nothing. Just happy to see you,” he mumbles, breathing deeply and closing his eyes for a second. Jack feels so helpless, and he takes a deep breath before talking again.

 “I’m glad to see you, too, Mac. I just wish you didn’t look like you went three rounds with Mike Tyson.”

 “Me too,” comes Mac’s reply, and Jack can’t help his small huff of laughter at that.

 “You think you can sit up, kid? I wanna make sure you’re ok,” he says, already shifting his arms under Mac to help support him. The kid nods briefly, grimacing as he pushes himself up with Jack’s help. When he’s sitting upright next to him, Jack turns to face him completely. He lets his eyes roam every visible inch of the kid, cataloging the bruises, the blood, the way the kid’s hunched over on himself. _Definitely ribs, then._ And then he fully registers the bruises covering both sides of Mac’s jaw. A pair of ugly, distinctly fingerprint bruises. Jack feels every bit of air in his lungs freeze, and for a second he can’t see, can’t breath, can’t _think,_  because those bruises eliminate the idea of a simple fistfight. No, somebody had forcibly grabbed Mac’s face, gripped it so hard it left a semi-permanent mark. It makes Jack sick to his stomach, and he feels like he could throw up. He breathes deeply, forcing the anger and nausea down, and reaches out a gentle hand to examine the bleeding spots on Mac’s face. It’s a miracle the kid doesn’t do more than tense just slightly as Jack’s fingers brush against his cheek, and in that moment Jack’s struck by just how strong this sixteen-year-old boy sitting in front of him is. _He’s unbelievable, and he has no idea how incredible he is._ Wordlessly, Jack gently thumbs the blood away from the corner of Mac’s eye, not missing the way Mac’s eyes flutter closed and he leans into his touch just slightly. _My god, Mac, what has he done to you all these years?_ And then Mac opens his eyes again as Jack rests his palm on Mac’s cheek, thumb again gently wiping the blood from his bruised and split lip. Jack catches his gaze, and Mac tenses again. And Jack already knows the answer, has known it for months, really, but he still asks.

 “Who did this to you?” His voice is barely more than a whisper, and it’s taking everything he’s got to keep the anger out of it. He doesn’t want to scare Mac any more than he already has been in just the last hour. But Mac’s lip starts quivering, and his eyes start to well up with tears.

 “He-He just, he just started yelling, Jack, and then he insulted you and I-I tried to keep my mouth shut but–” Mac’s breath hitches, fighting a sob, before he keeps rambling. “He’s never hit me like that before, Jack,” he whispers brokenly, and Jack can’t take it. He makes no attempt to stop the tears that fill his eyes, and he pulls Mac into his arms. And then Mac’s crying, collapsing into Jack’s shoulder and heaving huge, wracking sobs. Jack wraps his arms around his boy as tight as he dares, crying with him until they’re both soaked in each other’s tears and neither of them cares.

 Jack’s not sure how long they sit there, but he knows he stopped crying long before Mac did. But eventually the kid’s sobs come to a halting stop, and he sniffs harshly before slowly pulling away from Jack. But he doesn’t break contact completely, keeping one of his hands still tangled in Jack’s plaid overshirt. Jack recognizes his need for positive contact, and he reaches down to extract Mac’s hand from his shirt. The kid makes a small sound of discontent that Jack’s pretty sure he doesn’t even realize he just made until Jack replaces his shirt with his own hand in Mac’s. Mac immediately tightens his hold, and Jack raises an eyebrow at the strength in Mac’s grip. Mac blushes slightly and relaxes his grip just enough to not be painful. Jack smiles softly, reaching his free hand up to brush Mac’s tears away. His lip’s stopped bleeding now, but the cut at the top of his cheekbone is still leaking steadily, and Jack’s aware that he’ll need to bandage that soon. But first, he needs to gauge Mac’s mental state now to see if he can leave to get ice and first aid.

 “Mac.” The kid hums softly, eyes sliding up to meet Jack’s and staying there. “I need to go get you some ice and something to clean up those cuts, are you ok to sit here for a minute?” He doesn’t wanna leave him, but he knows they need to address his injuries. Mac looks like he wants anything but for Jack to leave, and he starts to bite his lip only to hiss sharply when his teeth hit the cut. Jack has to fight the urge to scold him for being so careless. Mac’s quiet for another moment before he nods slowly.

 “I would ask if, um, if I could come with you, but I’m actually feeling a little dizzy right now,” he admits quickly, and Jack half smiles half sighs. _At least he’s telling me_ , he thinks grimly.

 “Ok. I’ll get you some water and ibuprofen too, then. I’ll be right back, I promise.” He gets up, but he doesn’t let go of Mac’s hand yet. Mac looks up at him, and Jack swallows hard. “And kid? I’m sorry but you need to tell me exactly what happened, okay?” He hates it, hates that he has to make Mac talk about it, but he needs to know for both health and unfortunately legal reasons. Mac just nods once, looking away and letting go of Jack’s hand. Jack waits for a second before going to get everything he needs. He doesn’t have to leave the room, thank goodness, but just taking his eyes off Mac to find the things he’s looking for is bad enough. He moves as quickly as he can, and in just a couple minutes he’s back on the couch next to Mac. He gives him a water bottle and some ibuprofen, and then he silently starts cleaning the cuts on his face. He hates seeing Mac flinch every time he touches the cuts, but he focuses on making sure everything is clean before letting himself focus on his emotions.

 

 Ten minutes later, Mac’s sitting back against the couch with his eyes closed and an ice pack pressed into the side of his face. The water bottle Jack gave him is empty next to him, and Jack’s considering getting up to get him another one when Mac starts talking.

 “He was mad about me coming to see you again,” he says quietly, and Jack freezes. _Damn it_ … “At first, I didn’t know what he was mad about, and he didn’t believe me.” Here Mac weakly gestures at the bruises on his jaw, and Jack can imagine how those must’ve come about then. He shuts his eyes and breathes sharply through his nose, and then Mac keeps going. “So then he accused me of caring about you more than him, and he called you names and I-I couldn’t keep my mouth shut,” he chuckles a tiny bit, wincing when it must set off his pounding head. Jack smiles a bit and stays silent. “I told him you were smart and kind and—” Mac chokes off in a half sob before speaking again. “I told him you were a better father figure to me in one year than he’d ever been in ten,” he whispers, and it’s like Jack’s whole world just suddenly stopped spinning before reversing violently. His mind is reeling, and he almost misses the rest of Mac’s story. “That’s when he hit me, well harder than before at least, and I slammed my side into the counter. And then he-he grabbed me and shoved me against it again, and if you hadn’t texted when you did, I think it would’ve– I think I would look a lot worse than this right now,” he finishes softly, studying the hand in his lap that isn’t tangled with Jack’s. Jack’s struck with the realization that while he’d been feeling sorry for himself, Mac had been getting slapped around by his own _father_.

 “Oh, Mac…” It’s all he can say as he tightens his grip on Mac’s hand, and it’s apparently all he needs to say because Mac isn’t done.

 “So then um, then he shoved me again, but I couldn’t go anywhere because of the counter so my head just hit the cabinets behind me.” Mac’s telling it all so meticulously and matter-of-fact and Jack can’t decide if that’s better or worse than if he was an emotional wreck. “And then I grabbed my stuff and I ran, and I didn’t stop until I got here,” he finishes tightly, and Jack doesn’t know what to say. But he can tell Mac’s fighting to find the way to say something else, so he waits, rubbing circles into Mac’s hand with his thumb. “He said, um, he said even couldn’t guarantee that he’d let me come home,” he finally whispers, and Jack wants to scream and fight and rip James limb from limb. _How dare he!!_

 “What the hell?? He beats you to crap and then has the nerve to tell you not to come home??” He’s out of his seat now, pacing and trembling and Mac is staring wide-eyed. “Well screw him, Mac, you’re staying with me tonight whether he would let you back in or not. In fact, you’re staying with me for a while until I can have a talk with your _father!_ ” He’s practically growled that last word, and he pants slightly as he stands there, quivering with rage and disgust. Mac just stares up at him, frozen on the couch, and Jack feels himself deflate when he looks at him again. “Aw hell, Mac, I’m sorry. I know he’s your dad, but—”

 “No.” Jack freezes in surprise at the harsh interruption from Mac. The kid drops the ice pack and stands up slowly, and Jack immediately lunges to steady him. “I-I meant what I said, Jack,” he says, voice hushed and unsteady but still strong. “I don’t-I don’t know how you feel but I meant it when I said you’re a better father to me than he’s ever been. It just took me a beating to realize it,” he finishes with a humorless chuckle, but Jack once again feels like his whole world just started spinning the wrong direction. He sinks into the couch slowly, pulling Mac down with him.

 “I– Mac, I don’t—” he stutters, and Mac looks away quickly.

 “It’s okay, Jack, I mean of course you probably don’t think of me like-like that, I just–”

 “Are you kidding me, kid??” Jack yelps incredulously and Mac jumped slightly in surprise. “Sorry, but are you _kidding_ me? Mac, of _course_ I think of you as my kid, how could I not?” Mac looks like he doesn’t want to let himself believe it, but then he looks Jack in the eye, and he starts to smile, eyes filling with tears again.

 “ _Really?_ ”

 Jack grins, his own eyes wet with tears for the countless time that morning.

 “Really,” he says emphatically, and Mac launches himself into his arms again, sore ribs and all. Minutes pass in quiet silence, broken occasionally by the sound of Mac sniffling. Jack sits there, arms around his kid, cheek pressed in tight to messy blond hair, and closes his eyes. He knows he’s going to have to confront James, and he knows it’s not going to be pretty. He hates the circumstances, but this situation today has given him a perfect opportunity to implement that crazy plan he set into motion last week. He never thought he’d act on it this soon, and it makes his heart ache when he thinks about it, but he’s resolved now, and he’s ready. _James, you’ve got one hell of a price to pay for this._ But for right now all he’s focused on is the bruised and hurting teenager that’s burrowed into his shoulder. He checks his watch. _We’re technically open now._ It’s ten after 8, but Jack doesn’t have a lesson scheduled until 10. “Hey kid,” he says suddenly, and Mac _humph’_ s in response. Jack chuckles softly as the noise buzzes into his shoulder. “What do you say I cancel my lessons today, and we just chill with the horses, huh?” It’s quiet for a minute, and then Mac answers, voice raw and tired.

 “Can we just do the necessary stuff and then go home and get food?” he asks hesitantly, and Jack’s heart breaks at the pure exhaustion in Mac’s voice. He chooses to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat when Mac said “home”, instead forcing himself to stay present for Mac’s sake. He hugs him tighter and closes his eyes.

 “Absolutely, Mac. Anything you want, okay?” He wants to say that he would give him the world if he asked, but he stays quiet and waits for Mac’s response.

 “Can we get pizza?” Mac sounds all of 6 years old, and Jack’s not sure how much more love for this kid he can hold in until he bursts. He feels like he could laugh, cry, scream, and sing all at the same time. For now, he just laughs, absentmindedly pressing a quick kiss into Mac’s hair.

 “Of course we can have pizza, kid.”

  
  


 They’re sitting curled up on Jack’s couch several hours later, stuffed full of pizza and pop and watching a random nature documentary when Mac suddenly starts talking.

 “It’s funny, after everything happened this morning, the only thing I could feel was anger. And how I just needed to get to you,” he says bluntly, and Jack mutes the tv and turns to face Mac.

 “And what do you feel now?” Mac thinks about it for a minute, tilting his head in that adorable way he always does, and Jack’s heart swells with affection.

 “Now? Now I just feel… numb?” He sounds uncertain, and Jack knows he’s not done. “I don’t know, now I just feel like, like I don’t care. I don’t know if I’ll feel the same way tomorrow but right now I just. I don’t care, Jack. About him. Not right now.” A pause, and then: “I have you. Why do I need him?” And darn it, Jack really didn’t want to bring it up yet but Mac’s words seem to flip a switch in him and he can’t stop himself now.

 “What if you never had to care about him ever again?” The words escape him like air through a cracked plane hull, and Mac sits up quickly and faces him.

 “What?” His face is colored with confusion, brows furrowed and nose scrunched and he looks so much like a puppy it makes Jack completely helpless.

 “Kid. What if you never had to give a damn about your dad ever again? What if–” he falters for a minute, the weight of what he’s about to ask hitting him like a freight train. But Mac is staring at him like he’s grown another head, so he takes a deep breath and pushes on. “What if he wasn’t your dad anymore? What if I was?” There. It’s done, his sliver of an idea out in the open. He holds his breath and waits for Mac to answer, but the kid still looks just as confused as before.

 “I don’t– Jack, I just said that you pretty much were, I don’t understand.” _Oh, kid. Trust the genius not to get it._ But Jack’s pretty sure he gets it, he just doesn’t know he does. Sure enough, a split second later, Mac’s eyes widen and he sits ramrod straight. “ _Oh.”_  It’s just a tiny whisper, and Jack nods slowly.

 “Yeah. Oh.” Mac just stares at him blankly, mouth open and shoulders tensed, and Jack can’t tell for the life of him how the kid’s going to react and it’s killing him. In his mind, it makes so much sense. It makes even more sense now than it did last week, now that Jack knows for sure that all those little random bruises weren’t just Mac being clumsy. ( _Deep down I always knew, really_.) It makes him sick, but it makes sense. But he has no idea how Mac will see it. He knows that Mac never really thought about how the way his dad treated him was wrong until recently, so it might not make the same sense to him as it does to Jack. Just when he thinks Mac’s never going to react, Mac’s tackling him with a hug. For the third time that day, Jack finds himself with an armful of crying teenager, and he’s not sure whether to laugh or cry. So he does both, and soon they’re both laughing and crying and hugging each other and Jack never wants to let go. As they sit there, he lets himself imagine what it would be like to spend every night with Mac, to eat crappy takeout food on the weekends and watch cheesy action movies and work on school projects together and just _exist_ in the same house all the time. It’s something he realizes he wants more than anything in the world, and he promises himself then and there that if it’s what Mac wants too, he’ll do everything within his power to make it happen. When Mac finally calms down again, he pulls away so he can focus on his face. Mac just looks at him, eyes full of tears and what Jack thinks just might be hope, and he feels it fill him too.

 “You’re-you’re actually serious?” Even after everything, Mac’s still finding it hard to believe that Jack would want to be his father, and he wants to hug the kid again but instead, he just places his hands on either side of Mac’s face.

 “I’m 200% serious, Mac. I mean it. If it’s what you want, I want to be your dad. For real. Legally. I want you to live here, and eat crappy pizza and watch cheesy movies with me, and let me attempt to help you with your homework even though we both know you don’t need it. I want to make you breakfast and coffee and drive you to school if you want. I want to change the name of my stables to Dalton & Son. And I wanna make sure that James doesn’t have a single claim to you, or a chance to hurt you, ever again.” He’s crying again when he finishes, he can feel the tears running down his cheeks, but he doesn’t take his eyes or hands off of Mac. He can see that Mac’s crying too, and he gently wipes his tears with his thumbs. “I know it’s a lot, Mac. I know I’ve only known you for a year. But I want you to know that I am completely serious. If that’s what you want. You don’t have to decide now, or even soon, but–”

 “Yes,” Mac whispers hoarsely, and Jack freezes. “Yes. I want that. I want you to be my dad. More than anything,” he finishes, choking up on the last sentence. Jack can’t believe his ears. He’s sure he’s hearing this wrong. _Is this really happening?_ He voices his doubt, just to be sure.

 “Are you sure, Mac? This is–this is _big._ ” It’s a terrible adjective, but it’s all Jack’s stunned brain can come up with. But Mac’s nodding emphatically now.

 “Yes. I’m sure. I know it’s sudden but at the same time… I think I’ve known for a long time that Dad was really only my dad in name.” He takes a deep breath, and his voice sounds steadier than it has all day. “I’m more sure about this than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.” Jack breaks then, sobs coming full force, and he drops his head and lets the tears fall freely. Mac’s hands reach up to cover Jack’s, and it’s more than he can take. He tips forwards and lets his forehead rest on Mac’s shoulder, and Mac pulls his hands down and holds them tightly. Jack sobs and sobs, twisting his fingers through Mac’s and letting go of every single emotion he’s been holding in for the last week.

 “I’m so sorry, Mac. I’m sorry I didn’t stop this. I’m sorry I didn’t notice just how bad your home life was,” he mumbles tearfully, and Mac just snorts, rubbing circles into Jack’s hands with his thumbs.

 “Jack, I didn’t let anyone know, it’s not your fault. I was so used to it that I never thought of telling anyone. I wanna blame myself for just accepting it, but that’s stupid too. There’s no one to blame but James.” Maybe it’s the truth in Mac’s words or the fact that he said “James” instead of “dad”, but whatever the reason, Jack is able to stop his tears and sit up again. He manages a tight, watery smile, and Mac grins right back. Jack smiles for real then and squeezes Mac’s hands quickly.

 “Gosh, we’re a right mess, aren’t we?” He usually jokes to deflect, but this time he’s just trying to make Mac laugh. It works. The kid chuckles softly, shaking his head.

 “Yes, we are.” Jack shakes his head too, and he stands up and wipes his eyes.

 “Alright then. Why don’t we clean this all up and talk about actual details tomorrow? I think it’s time for some ice cream,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows obnoxiously to get another laugh out of the kid. It works again, bless his heart, and Jack chuckles. Mac looks up at him with a smile and he nods.

 “Sure, Jack.”

 At that moment, Jack thinks he’s never been as happy as he is right then.

  
  
  


 True to his word, Jack breaks out the ice cream after they’ve cleared away the pizza, and he pulls out all the stops for Mac. He sets out m&m’s, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and even some peanuts he had in the cupboard. Mac snags a couple of bananas, and the two of them go to town, piling everything into bowls with every variety of ice cream Jack had in his freezer. They settle back into the couch and Jack turns on A New Hope, and they binge watch the original trilogy the whole afternoon. Halfway through the first film, Mac had sleepily leaned back against Jack’s chest, and Jack froze for a minute, waiting to see if the kid would notice what he’d just done and move. But he didn’t, instead burrowing in tighter and resting his head back on his shoulder, and Jack slowly relaxed and wrapped an arm around the kid’s chest.

 

 It’s nearing 6pm when Jack pulls his focus from Return of the Jedi enough to realize that Mac is sleep, his head lolling sideways and his empty ice cream bowl long forgotten in his lap. He chuckles softly, pausing the movie and listening to the quiet sounds of Mac’s breathing. He’s not snoring, really, but there’s a slight whooshing sound when he exhales, and Jack thinks it’s the cutest thing he’s ever heard. He pulls out his phone and starts recording a new video for his Mac folder, making faces at the camera while Mac slumbers on blissfully at his shoulder. _He’s gonna hate me for this_ , he thinks happily, and he’s struck by just how _domestic_ this all is. And then it all sinks in and he’s left nearly gasping for breath as he stops the video. _He’s gonna be my kid. For real. Forever._ It’s simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating, and Jack realizes for the first time just how much this really means to him. In just the short time he’s known him, Mac has become his entire world, and he can’t think of anything more wonderful than the possibility of being able to say “ _This is my son.”_

 Jack leans his head against Mac’s and closes his eyes, the last half hour of the movie forgotten as he joins the slumbering teen in dreamland. He’s got his whole world wrapped in his arms, and that’s all he needs, tonight and always.


	4. Chapter 4

 When Jack wakes up later and checks his watch, it’s almost 9:30 pm. Mac’s still sound asleep against Jack’s shoulder, and he’s loathe to wake him but he knows it’s gonna mess up the kid’s already-barely existent sleep schedule if he sleeps any longer. Besides, the only thing the kid’s eaten all day is pizza and ice cream, and Jack figures they need at least one more decent meal. So Jack sits up slowly, an arm around Mac’s chest so the kid doesn’t spill off the couch with the movement. Mac stirs slightly, reacting to the movement and touch. He mumbles a bit, now half-awake, and Jack has to fight the urge to just lay back again and hold him close forever. Instead he sits fully upright and rubs Mac’s shoulder gently.

 “Hey, buddy, time to wake up,” he whispers softly, and Mac makes a muffled snort and turns sideways to bury his face into Jack’s shirt. Jack bites back a chuckle and ruffles Mac’s hair gently. “C’mon, man, don’t make me dump you off the couch,” he warns, but he’s grinning and he knows it translates into his voice. Mac actually whines this time, and Jack huffs a dramatic sigh. _Teenagers._

 “Mmm I don’t wanna,” comes Mac’s response, muffled by Jack’s shirt. This time Jack doesn’t stop the laugh that bubbles up, and Mac grunts grumpily as Jack’s chest rumbles under his head. “Stop laughing,” he demands— or at least he tries to demand. Jack snorts.

 “Mac, you’re about as commanding as a puppy learning to bark.” Mac groans, shoving himself off of Jack to glare sleepily at him. To his credit, he does look thoroughly annoyed, but it’s like looking at an angry kitten. Yes, they’re mad. But they’re also still so dang _cute._ Jack can’t help the grin that splits his face, and he can see Mac fighting to keep an angry look on his face, but slowly the teen’s face melts into a small smile. “There we go. See, you’re awake now,” Jack teases, and Mac rolls his eyes and slaps a lazy hand in Jack’s direction. Instinctively, Jack reaches out and snags it, wrapping his fingers around Mac’s hand and holding tight. Mac starts slightly, eyes darting from their hands to Jack’s face and back. And then he smiles again, wrapping his hand around Jack’s in turn. It’s quiet for a moment as they both let their silence speak so much louder than words, and then Jack gives Mac’s hand one more squeeze and lets go. Mac looks much more awake now, so Jack decides to broach the subject of food.

 “You hungry?” Mac thinks for a second, but before he can answer, his stomach answers for him. Mac’s eyes widen and he blushes, and Jack nearly passes out laughing. “I’ll take that as a yes, then,” he chuckles. “There’s a 24-hour diner just down the street, they make a mean burger if you’re up for it?” Mac hesitates, and Jack knows he’s thinking about the bruises all over his face. “Hey, kid. It’s ok. You look fine, and there’ll be nobody there but the staff. They’re good people, okay?” Mac nods slowly, and Jack smiles. “Alright. You good to leave in about, say, ten minutes?” Mac nods again, already getting up to head to the bathroom down the hall. Jack sits and watches him, heart aching for this kid, _his_ kid. If it were up to Jack, he’d tell everybody in that diner just what James did to his boy. If it were up to him, he’d tell so many people there’d _have_ to be a report filed. Because if it were up to Jack, James Macgyver would rot in a cell for daring to even lay a finger on Mac. But Jack knows that as much as Mac might hate his dad now, he would never want him to end up in jail. And Jack hates it, but he loves Mac so much for being the way he is, so he respects it. By the time they get into his old GTO ten minutes later, Jack’s come up with a plausible lie, something he can say if anybody tries to ask about Mac’s face. He just hopes he doesn’t actually have to use it.

  


 As soon as they walk into the diner, it’s glaringly obvious that Jack was right. There isn’t a soul in sight who’s not behind the bar, and Jack notices Mac breathe a small sigh of relief. Jack chooses to ignore that, making a beeline for the booth in the back corner that’s always empty. Usually, when Jack comes in for an early breakfast before work, or a late-night snack after, he heads straight for the stool at the bar that might as well have his name on it. He notices Katie start in surprise as he passes straight by it this time, and rolls his eyes as he catches her eyeing Mac curiously. _Oh, I shoulda known…_ Mac may only be sixteen, but he’s tall, with angular features, big blue eyes, and a baby face Jack _knows_ the girls go crazy for. And despite all the times Jack’s wanted to hold him down and forcibly cut that mop off his head, he’s noticed the couple teenage girls that come for lessons seem to like it. Mac is always completely oblivious to it, of course. He chuckles to himself as they sit down, the angle the booth’s at making it quite obvious that the young girl behind the bar is still staring at Mac. The kid in question looks at him suspiciously.

 “What’s so funny?” Jack grins wickedly, deciding there’s no harm in messing with the kid a bit.

 “Oh, nuthin. Just little Katie over there’s been checkin’ ya out since we walked in,” he shrugs nonchalantly, and he feels a surge of glee when Mac blushes fiercely.

 “Shut up,” he mumbles, looking everywhere but at Jack. Jack laughs loudly, and Mac groans, dropping his head to bury it in his hands. Jack’s still laughing when another waitress comes over with a small smile on her face.

 “Evening, boys. Nice to see you as always, Jack,” she says amiably, and Mac slowly picks his head up as Jack smiles.

 “Good to see you too, Sara,” Jack answers, and Sara turns to Mac.

 “And who’s this young man?” Jack glances over at Mac to see the kid sitting straight up again, and right before he’s about to answer, Sara’s face lights up just slightly. “Wait, don’t tell me, this must be Mac!” Mac starts, glancing over to Jack quickly. Jack knows he’s blushing now. He’d forgotten about how much he talks about Mac to the employees of Larry’s Diner. And then, as if things weren’t embarrassing enough, Sara hells loudly across the diner. “Guess who Jack finally brought in!” There’s a chorus of _Alright!_ s and _About time!_ s from behind the bar and back in the kitchen, and Jack wishes he could just sink down into the floor. Mac’s blushing redder than a tomato, and it would make Jack laugh if he didn’t feel so bad for putting the kid on the spot like this. Sara turns back to them with a smile, and she pats Mac on the shoulder briefly. “Sorry about that, dear, it’s just we’ve all been waiting for Jack to bring ‘that boy of his’ in here, as we all say, since he talks about you nonstop. It’s nice to finally meet you, Mac.” She’s smiling at him warmly, but Mac is so stunned and shocked he’s gaping like a fish, mouth working like he’s trying to find something to say but his brain just won’t work. Luckily for him, Sara doesn’t give him more than half a second before she’s rambling again. “Now then, anything to drink for you two? I’m assuming you’ll get your usual, Jack?” Jack’s immensely grateful for the change in subject, and he’s positive Mac is too. He nods quickly, smiling somewhat relievedly.

 “Uh yeah, usual for me, Sar. Mac, you want anything to drink?” Mac snaps his gaze back to Jack, and it takes him a second to register what’s just been asked.

 “Umm yeah… do you- do you have cherry coke?” He’s stuttering and growing even more red, but Sara doesn’t even seem to notice. She grins brightly at him, nodding emphatically.

 “Sure do, sweetheart! Alright, I’ll be right back with your drinks then!” And with that she’s gone just as quickly as she’d been talking, and Jack sees Mac breathe a visible sigh of relief. He can’t help but chuckle as he breathes his own, shaking his head slightly.

 “Sorry, Mac, Sara makes it her business to know everything there is to know about anyone who walks through those doors. Her husband owns the place. Little Katie’s their niece,” he explains quickly, but he can tell immediately that Mac’s not listening. He slowly looks back at Jack, eyes wide and suspiciously glittery. Jack frowns slightly.

 “Do you-do you really talk about me?” His voice is barely more than a whisper, and he sounds so unsure and so _awed_ that Jack wants to hug him for the hundredth time that night.

 “Yeah man, ‘course I do! What, you think I wouldn’t tell everybody how amazing you are? Heck, that very same night I first met you, I was in here bragging about my new stable hand and how ingenious you were with that lock and everything else.” It’s true, every word. Jack vividly remembers sitting at his stool the year before, animatedly telling Larry and Sara all about this slip of a kid who practically fell into his arms. He sobers slightly as he sees Mac still staring in disbelief, and he reaches a hand out to gently rest it on Mac’s arm. “Listen, Mac. I mean it. All of it. I’ve been proud of you like you were my own kid since day one. I love you, man. Don’t ever doubt that,” he adds emphatically, squeezing Mac’s arm reassuringly. The kid blinks rapidly and swallows hard before hesitantly nodding. A second later, his shoulders relax and he smiles, halting but bright, and Jack grins.

 “I love you too, Jack,” Mac whispers, and Jack keeps his hand on his arm for another second before slowly pulling away.

 

 

 It’s quiet between them for another moment before it’s broken by the arrival of their drinks. Only this time, it’s Katie bringing them. Jack smirks as he watches the dark-haired girl keep sneaking glances at Mac as she sets his coffee down first. She sets Mac’s Coke down next, and Jack can tell she’s trying to gather the courage to say something. Just when Jack thinks she’s about to give up and leave, she takes a deep breath.

 “It’s Mac, right?” Mac nodds, clearly baffled, and Jack fights the urge to snort. _You oblivious dork._  Katie, however, is just as oblivious, because she keeps on going. “Um, I’m Katie. It’s nice to meet you,” she finishes awkwardly. She smiles at Mac, and the bumbling genius is at least able to get out a mumbled _“nice to meet you too”_. Jack cringes inwardly, but again, Katie doesn’t seem to notice. She turns away smiling, and Jack swears she’s close to skipping as she heads back behind the bar. Mac sinks back in his seat clearly still very confused, and Jack groans. _Teenagers!_

 “Come on, Mac!! She’s flirting with you! Be a bit more responsive!” Mac’s eyes go so wide Jack thinks they’ll pop clean out of his head, and he slaps a hand to his forehead. “Alright, kid, first thing I’m gonna teach you: _how to react to a girl flirting with you_.” He’s very pleased when Mac blushes beet red again and looks away quickly.

 

 Jack’s still laughing when Sara comes back a few minutes to take their order. She’s smiling a seemingly knowing smile, and Jack knows she knows _exactly_ why he’s laughing. They share a brief look, both shaking their heads slightly before they start to order. Mac is once again completely oblivious, and Jack can’t help but stare at him fondly as he orders a ridiculous amount of food that Jack knows he’ll eat every bit of. _This is my kid. My boy. He’s gonna be my son_. When Mac looks back over and catches him smiling, he gives him a curious look. Jack just grins wider and waves him off, and Mac gives a tiny shrug before taking another sip of his Coke.

  
  


 

 Later that night, Jack’s laying in bed wide awake despite going to bed nearly an hour ago. He knows it’s irrational, but he misses Mac already, even though the kid’s just down the hall. But he still feels it, still wishes he was hugging Mac like before. _I mean, we’ve got 16 years of physical affection to make up for, right?_ And as soon as Jack thinks it he knows it’s true. Jack’s a very physical being, he always has been. He’s a hugger, always craving some kind of physical contact from people he loves and cares about. On the contrary, Mac’s never seemed the touchy type. But after the events of the last week, Jack’s realized that the only reason Mac wasn’t very touchy was simply because he never had any positive affection from anyone. Today alone was a very vivid demonstration of that. Mac had clung to him like a koala, grabbing for his hand and leaning against him any chance he got. _Touch starved. That’s the term._ Mac’s been essentially touch starved his entire life. And while Jack hasn’t really had the same kind of negative experience with touch as Mac’s had, he also hasn’t really had anyone he could be affectionate with in a while. They’re both craving it, and now that they’ve got it, neither of them wants to let go.

 

 So really, it’s no surprise when ten minutes later, Jack’s door pushes open slowly and he hears the sound of bare feet padding softly on the floor. They pause for a second, and Jack doesn’t move, waiting to see what Mac will do if he thinks Jack’s asleep. Half a heartbeat later, Jack’s blanket lifts up slightly and the bed sinks as Mac quietly climbs up onto it. Jack keeps his eyes screwed shut, almost holding his breath as Mac curls up next to him and balls a fist into the fabric of Jack’s loose t-shirt. Jack slowly opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling, not daring to move even his head until Mac’s breathing quickly evens out. Only when Jack’s fairly certain he’s fast asleep does he turn his head to look at the kid snoring softly into his pillow. Mac’s hair is everywhere, covering half his face in fluffy blond curls, and Jack reaches up to softly brush them off his forehead. Mac stirs slightly, curling even closer into Jack’s side, and Jack smiles. He shifts just enough so he can comfortably slip his arm under Mac’s shoulders before closing his eyes tiredly. Suddenly he’s exhausted, and he drifts off to sleep next to Mac like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

  
  
  


 The two of them sleep until almost noon the next day, and Jack almost wishes he’d woken up sooner so as not to mess up Mac’s already horrible sleep schedule. But after the day he’d had yesterday, Jack’s glad he was able to sleep in. He deserved it. When he’d first woken up that morning, Jack had woken to a fluffy mop of blond hair in his face and Mac using his chest as a pillow. He hadn’t been annoyed by it, just slightly surprised. He’d laid there for nearly ten minutes, just absently carding his fingers through Mac’s hair before the kid had stirred. Jack felt a brief surge of disappointment when Mac lifted his head and pulled his hair away from Jack’s fingers, but he’d sat up and smiled at Mac as the kid slowly dragged himself to wakefulness. It was probably the cutest thing he’d ever seen watching Mac clumsily rub his eyes and squint up at him. It took a good five minutes before Mac was fully awake, and Jack will never forget just how much the teen looked like a tiny little kitten when he yawned.

  


 Jack’s in the kitchen making coffee when Mac finally makes his way into the living room. Half a second later, the kid’s in the kitchen too, pulling out a chair and sitting down wordlessly. _This is gonna be an interesting few days._ Jack had cancelled lessons again the night before, so the day was free for the two of them. But this attached at the hip thing, well, Jack’s gonna be hard pressed to convince the kid to stay home while he pays a certain someone a little visit. He’d prefer to delay it even further, but another glance at Mac sitting there in yesterday’s clothes reminds him that he needs to go. Ideally, Jack would love to be able to limit this visit to just a “supply run”, but realistically he knows it’s not going to be that simple. He’s anxious and excited all at once, and it’s distracting him to no end.

 The beeping of the coffee pot shakes him out of his thoughts, and he quickly grabs mugs for him and Mac. He sits down at the table across from the kid, setting a mug down in front of him. Mac’s face lights up slightly, and he quickly wraps his hands around the steaming mug. Jack chuckles, shaking his head. _I’m gonna make sure this kid can have coffee whenever he wants._  They sit in silence for a moment, and then Jack clears his throat nervously.

 “So what do ya say we head over to Larry’s again for brunch?” He keeps his voice light, waiting to get Mac talking before he broaches the other topic he needs to discuss. Mac looks up and smiles, nodding quickly. Jack smiles. “Okay, good. And then after, uh, I’m gonna drop you off back here and I got something I need to take care of, okay?” Jack holds his breath, praying Mac doesn’t ask what he’s got to do. Mac frowns slightly, tilting his head in that trademark puppy way of his. Jack melts, and he knows he’d do anything for this kid.

 “What do you have to do? Why can’t I come?” Jack shuts his eyes tight, wishing he could lie, but he already knows he can’t. Not to Mac. He sighs, looking down at his mug.

 “Look, Mac, I’ve gotta go talk to your dad.” Mac’s eyes widen, and he sits up ramrod straight. “Listen, you need new clothes and all your stuff, and there’s no way I’m letting you go back there, at least not any time soon. And… I may need to have a word or two with your dad, alright?” He finishes almost pleadingly, looking up at Mac and practically begging the kid to just let it go. Mac’s still wide-eyed, staring frozen at Jack.

 “You’re not gonna send him to jail, are you?” Mac’s voice is so quiet Jack might not have even known he’d said anything if he hadn’t been looking right at him. The pain in his voice is enough to bring tears to Jack’s eyes, and he reaches a hand out to cover Mac’s.

 “No. No, as much as I want to, Mac, I know that’s not what you want and I respect that. No, I promise I’m not gonna send him to jail, okay?” Mac nods jerkily, and he breathes a bit easier. “But there is one thing I wanna know.” Mac looks at him, unblinking and completely attentive, and Jack’s chest fills with warmth. “I need to know if you want your dad to still have parental rights.” Mac’s forehead scrunches in confusion, and Jack is once again reminded of a small, confused kitten.

 “What?”

 “There’s two ways we can do this adoption thing, okay? Option 1, we can keep your dad’s rights. Meaning he’s still legally your parent, I’d just be one too. Option 2, we can terminate your dad’s rights, meaning he has no right to force you to live with him, or control you, or ever claim he’s your dad. It’s up to you, buddy, okay?” Mac is completely silent, and Jack would think he wasn’t even breathing if he didn’t see his chest move. There’s another moment of agonizing silence, and then Mac finally speaks.

 “I don’t want him to be my dad. At all. In any way.” Jack feels his heart soar, and he wants to cry because of just how much James destroyed his own son. But he keeps his emotions in check.

 “You sure, Mac? You can’t undo that,” he reminds him softly, and Mac looks him dead in the eyes and takes a deep breath.

 “I’m sure. I know that if I don’t take that away from him, he’ll never stop trying to undermine you, and get me back. Even if he doesn’t care about me, he’ll feel like his pride has been damaged. So yes. I’m sure. I may not have seen it before, but I know now that he hasn’t been my dad since the day my mom died.” Mac’s voice trembles slightly over that last sentence, and Jack is up and out of his chair before he’s even finished. He wraps Mac in a hug, resting his chin on Mac’s head and rubbing his shoulders gently.

 “Okay, kid. Okay.” Jack’s struck by what Mac said about his dad trying to undermine Jack’s rights, and he’s astonished he never considered that himself. But everything he knows about James tells him that Mac is right. He shuts his eyes and breathes in Mac’s presence, secure in the knowledge that no matter what, this kid loves him.


	5. Chapter 5

 Mac’s quiet the whole way to the diner, his mind still reeling from everything that’s happened in just a few short days. _Jack’s gonna be my dad. For real._ It’s enough to knock the wind from him like he’s been punched, and by the time they pull into the parking lot, he’s still struggling to catch his breath. _I just said that I don’t want James to ever be a part of my life again. Am I sure about this?_ And then Jack’s wrapping a lazy arm around his shoulder as they walk into the diner, and Mac gets the answer to his question. _Yes. Absolutely sure._

 

 Sara greets them like they’re the oldest friends in the world, and while Mac supposes that’s close to true for Jack, he’s still surprised when her greeting extends to him in much the same way. Mac smiles shyly and greets her back, and if anyone notices he’s still wearing the same outfit as yesterday, they don’t say anything. Jack’s already making his way over the booth they had the night before, still miraculously empty even though there’s plenty of patrons here today. Mac follows quickly, sitting in his same seat as before. It’s not two seconds later that Katie approaches them, smiling brightly at them, but Mac specifically. He catches Jack’s eye across the table, and the man starts making faces and Mac has to resist the urge roll his eyes. _Is this what dads are supposed to do?_ He supposes it is, he wouldn’t really know otherwise.

 He blinks quickly when he realizes Katie’s still staring at him expectantly, and he registers the question she asked him while he was daydreaming. “Um, yeah, I’ll have a coffee, please.”

 Jack shakes his head, and Mac shoots him a playful glare. “What? I want more, okay?” Jack laughs and raises his hands in mock surrender.

 “That’s fine, kid, just don’t complain to me when you start seeing sounds,” he shrugs, eyes smiling despite the playful taunt. Mac grins, and he doesn’t even notice that Katie’s smiling at them both as she leaves. Jack must’ve ordered while Mac was thinking.

 “Well what’d you get, Jack?” He crosses his arms and levels Jack with a smug look, knowing full well he got coffee too. Sure enough, Jack splutters and looks away, mumbling under his breath. “What was that? Sorry old man, it’s hard to hear you in your feeble old age.” Jack glares at Mac so hard and so quickly Mac can’t help it. He cracks up, holding his side as Jack fumes.

 “Excuse me? _Old man?!_ ” But he’s holding back a smile, and Mac just grins.

 “Your hearing going bad or something?” Jack’s eyes go wide, and he gasps.

 “I’m wounded, man. I’m wounded. I can’t believe you would do this. Me, an old man!” Jack pouts, and it’s so comical that Mac just stares laughing again.

 “You are an old man. But you’re my old man,” Mac teases, and then— _oh._ Mac stops laughing almost immediately, and Jack goes very still across from him.

 “Mac? You okay?” But Mac just stares ahead, heart racing in his chest.

  _My old man. My old man._

 “You’re my old man,” he whispers, and he feels his eyes prick with tears. He sniffs hard, scrubbing at his eyes with his sleeve. “You’re really gonna be my-my dad,” he finishes, staring at Jack in disbelief. Sure, he said yes, this was a thing already, but now, saying out out loud like that, so casually, it finally, truly sinks in. He wants to cry, but he forces himself to hold it back. Jack smiles at him, his eyes glistening with tears as well.

 “Yeah, kid. I am.” And then, unbidden, a thought pops into his head that makes his blood go cold as ice.

 “What if… what if James doesn’t agree?” He feels frozen, like he’s stuck in time, and he feels like he can’t even breathe. And then Jack’s out of his booth and sliding in next to him, calm and comforting and steady.

 “Hey, hey. Listen, it’s gonna be ok. I promise, alright? He’s gonna agree. To put it frankly, he has to.” Jack’s hugging him in tight and rubbing his shoulders, and Mac instantly feels himself relax into the touch. And then he looks up at Jack, confused.

 “What do you mean?” Jack’s face hardens, and Mac can see a muscle in his jaw twitch.

 “From what you’ve told me, your dad cares more about his reputation than anything else. Right?” Mac nods, and Jack continues, voice cold and unfeeling. “Right. So, unless he wants everyone to know that he’s an abusive, manipulative douchebag, he’s gonna agree. Okay?” Jack sounds so sure, so _angry,_ that Mac instantly believes him. _Jack’s gonna take care of me_. He nods, resting his head against Jack’s shoulder.

 “Okay.”

  


 Jack doesn’t leave Mac’s side for the rest of the meal. He sits up when their coffees come, but he doesn’t leave. They order a bunch of breakfast food, complete with several sides of bacon, and Mac swears it’s more food on one table he’s ever seen. By the time he’s finished, he feels so full he could burst. Jack groans and leans back against the both, patting his stomach contentedly.

 “Oh man, that was good. That bacon was perfection, man,” he sighs, and Mac chuckles. Jack’s not wrong, though. The bacon had been delicious. It all had been. Mac hasn’t had this much to eat for breakfast since, well, ever. When they both get up to leave, Jack pretends he can’t stand up, dropping an arm over Mac’s shoulder and leaning on him heavily. Mac stumbles, complaining loudly.

 “Get off! Why are you so heavy??” Jack just grins.

 “Sorry, Mac, no can do. I ate too much, you gotta carry me out.” Mac snorts.

 “Yeah right,” he mutters, before stepping out from under Jack’s arm. Jack stumbles as he loses his support, shouting in surprise as he manages to catch himself before he hits the floor. He rights himself and turns on Mac, and Mac giggles and jumps back quickly as Jack lunges at him. Mac grins and scampers past Jack, making a beeline for the door. He yells a hurried goodbye to Sara as he passes, and she shakes her head smiling.

 He makes it out the door and maybe five more steps before he’s grabbed from behind. He yells, laughing as Jack pokes his side and rubs a fist into his hair. “Stop, stop!” He’s laughing uncontrollably, squirming as hard as he can but Jack’s hold is too tight. He can hear him laughing behind him, and he twists as hard as he can until he’s almost facing Jack. He manages to get an arm out and he quickly pinches Jack’s side. Jack yelps in surprise, jumping back quickly and letting go. Mac grins triumphantly, and they both stare each other down for a second before laughing hysterically. Jack throws his arm around Mac’s shoulders again, and the two make their way back to the car, laughing and smiling.

 

 Jack blasts the radio the whole way home, singing obnoxiously to the classic rock pouring through the speakers. Mac groans loudly and covers his ears, but he’s grinning and Jack knows.

 “You’re butchering Iron Maiden!” He yells over the radio, and Jack scoffs.

 “Yeah right! I’m the karaoke champ back in Texas, pal!” Mac shakes his head laughing, and Jack grins and keeps on singing.

 

 All too soon they’ve pulled up to Jack’s apartment, and Mac doesn’t want to get out. He can see Jack watching him, but he doesn’t look at him. His mind races with a million different thoughts and fears. _What if James hurts Jack? What if he doesn’t agree? What if he tries to force me to stay with him again?_ That last thought scares Mac to no end. Because he think he can live with maybe never legally being Jack’s son. But actually having to go back to James? Mac knows that now, after the current circumstances, going back to live with James would be an absolute nightmare. _He’d never let me see Jack again._ It terrifies him, and he can’t take it.

 He doesn’t even realize he’s shaking until Jack puts a hand on his shoulder. He jumps, and Jack gently calms him down, whispering soothingly and rubbing his thumb in circles on his shoulder.

 “Hey, hey, Mac. It’s ok, bud. Breathe.” Slowly, Mac calms down. He takes a deep breath, finally turning to look at Jack. The man’s looking at him expectantly, just waiting for Mac to say what was wrong.

 “What if...what if he doesn’t agree? What if he tries to make me stay with him?” Saying it out loud, it sounds just as awful as it did in his head, and his breath hitches. But Jack’s hand squeezes his shoulder reassuringly.

 “Mac, I promise I’m not gonna let that happen, okay? If I have to I _will_ file some sort of police claim. I hope I don’t have to, and if your dad is as prideful as you say I shouldn’t have to, but if I do, I will. I will never let you go back to him if you don’t want to. Understand?” Jack’s voice is steady and firm and it fills Mac with comfort and surety. _It’s gonna be ok_. He nods slowly, and Jack smiles. “Okay. Let’s go inside, buddy.” Jack gets out, and Mac hesitates for a split second longer before following.

 

 When they get inside, Jack wordlessly pulls Mac into a hug. Mac starts in surprise, but he immediately melts into it. And then, what feels like only half a second later, Jack is pulling away and Mac frowns.

 “Hey now, don’t do that to me, don’t you give me that kicked puppy face!”

 “Kicked… what?!” Mac splutters, and he can feel his face going red. “I do not look like that!” He winces at the squeak in his voice, and Jack raises his eyebrows challengingly.

 “Oh yes you do. Mac you constantly look like a baby animal, don’t even bother arguing.” Jack waves off any attempt to counter before he continues. “Anyways, stop it. I have to go now. It’s gonna be fine.” Mac closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

 “I know. I know, Jack. Just… just be careful?” He doesn’t know why he says it, but Jack’s face softens and he gently places his hands on Mac’s biceps. It’s so similar and yet so different to the way James always grabbed him, and Mac nearly breaks down again. Jack must know exactly what he’s thinking, because he starts rubbing his hands up and down Mac’s arms soothingly. Without even realizing it, Mac relaxes, and his shoulders slump and his breathing evens out. Jack smiles.

 “There we go,” he says. “I’ll be careful. I promise I won’t hurt him,” he jokes, and Mac cracks a smile despite himself. “Too much, anyway,” Jack adds as an afterthought, and this time Mac isn’t sure he’s entirely joking. And maybe it shouldn’t, but that thought _almost_ makes him smile. Jack lets go of him then, and Mac feels an instant loss of warmth. He fights the urge to cross his arms and forces himself to breathe. Jack takes one last look at him before turning away, and Mac slowly makes his way to the couch as Jack heads back to his room.

 

 Mac’s just turning on the tv when Jack comes back in, a file folder tucked under one arm and his leather jacket draped over the other. Jack’s face is hardset and cold, and Mac forces down a shiver. _James is in for a rough day_. He doesn’t pity his dad. In fact, he’s almost half hoping Jack _does_ hurt him. Just a little bit. It scares Mac to think that, and he tries to force it down. But still, he feels no sympathy for the man who calls himself his father. He meets Jack’s eyes, and the man gives a tight nod.

 “Alright. I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” Mac nods, and Jack continues. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way home.” Jack crosses the room in a few short steps and gently ruffles Mac’s hair. Mac smiles slightly, and the corner of Jack’s mouth twitches just a bit, briefly warming the cold lines of Jack’s expression. A half a beat, and then he’s gone, marching out the door with a determined lilt in his step. Mac sits frozen for nearly ten minutes after the door closes, slowly processing that Jack is about to start the process that’ll change the rest of their lives.


	6. Chapter 6

 Jack’s aware he’s white-knuckling the steering wheel, but he doesn’t care. His fingers feel like they wouldn’t uncurl even if he wanted them to. He cares about nothing but the road ahead of him. He doesn’t even have the radio on. He’d turned it off the instant he started the car. Right now, all he can focus on is the road, and the impending confrontation he’s driving to. He glances briefly at the folder sitting in the passenger seat, almost as if to make sure it’s still there and hasn’t somehow miraculously disappear. He doesn’t even realize how long he’s been driving, just that suddenly he’s reached his turn. He swings the car sharply to the left, driving much faster down the neighborhood street that he probably should be, but again, he doesn’t care. And then he’s pulling up in front of James Macgyver’s house, and Jack feels nothing but pure rage as he throws the car in park. He sits for a moment, steadying his breathing as he tries to Will his fingers to let go. Slowly, he peels them off the wheel, and he takes one last steadying breath before he snags the file and gets out of the car.

 

 The walk up the drive is longer than he would like, and he hates it. He finally reaches the door, and he doesn’t hesitate. He slams his fist against it, one, two, three, four times as hard as he can, and then he waits. He waits, and he waits, and he growls in annoyance. He knows James is home. The lights are on and the car is in the drive. He raises his fist to slam the door again, but just as he’s about to bring his fist back down, the door swings inward. James MacGyver looks for all the world like Jack just paid him the most major inconvenience, and James is doing him the greatest favor by even opening the door. If Jack didn’t already hate the man, he would just for this. He frowns, and James rolls his eyes.

 “Can I help you?” He sounds bored, like he wants to just get this over with, and Jack bristles.

 “Yeah. James?” Jack’s pleased to see James start just slightly, both at Jack’s tone and the use of his name. He looks a bit more cautious now.

 “Yes?”

 “My name is Jack Dalton, I assume you know who I am?” Immediately, James’ whole demeanor changes. His face darkens and he stiffens, taking a sharp step forward. Jack crosses his arms and doesn’t budge.

 “I know who you are,” James bites, and Jack raises an eyebrow. “You’re the idiot who brainwashed my son.” Now it’s Jack’s turn to take a step forward, only James actually takes a step back in response. Jack takes advantage of that, shoving his way into the hall and backing James up even further. He ignores James’ indignant yell, and pushes past him into the living room. James follows him, spluttering. Jack ignores that, too.

 “Yeah, listen. I didn’t do anything to Mac except give him everything he never got from you.” Jack drops his arms and steps towards James again, his face hard and angry. He pokes a finger into James’ chest, and the man stumbles backwards a step. “ _You’re_ the one who brainwashed your kid. You convinced him he was worthless. You basically told him you didn’t love him unless he was always being useful. And don’t you _dare_ call him your son.” James steps back up to him, eyes flashing angrily.

 “He’s my son! Don’t you dare tell me what I did or didn’t do! You have no right to interfere! Now where is he? I want him home, this instant!” Jack actually laughs. _The nerve of this guy!_

 “Like hell he’s coming back here! If it were up to me, I’d beat you black and blue for what you did to him. _But you’re lucky I love your son._ Mac wouldn’t want me to hurt you like that, no matter how much you hurt him.” James is wide-eyed in disbelief. Jack’s breathing heavily, shoulders squared and jaw clenched so hard it’s almost sore. He’s aching to punch something, specifically James, but he promised Mac he’d try not to hurt him. So he clenches his fists and bites his cheek so hard he tastes blood. James opens his mouth to speak, and Jack smirks. _This is gonna be good._

 “I want him home. _Now_.” James bites out each word like it’s own sentence, stepping right up into Jack’s face. They’re nearly the same height, and Jack stares him down for a second before scoffing loudly.

 “If I remember what Mac said, you practically kicked him out. You beat your son, angry at him for not willingly being your little pet, told him not to come home, and you have the nerve to say you want him back? Yeah, not happening, buddy. He’s never coming back to you,” Jack growls, and James goes so red in the face Jack thinks he might explode.

 “And what exactly are you going to do, then? Take him in?” James snarks, and Jack just nods matter-of-factly.

 “Actually, that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m gonna adopt him,” he says simply, and he grins when James starts spluttering like a fish out of water.

 “Angus would never really agree to that! You must be forcing him to, I’m his father and he knows that!”

 “ _Mac_ ,” Jack snarls fiercely, stepping closer and jabbing his finger into James’ chest, “agreed to it almost before I’d even brought it up. He never wants to go back to you. You really think he’d still want to, after you shoved him around all his life, belittling him and abusing him, emotionally _and_ physically? Do you realize how many times he would flinch away from me when I barely even brushed against him too close? How he wouldn’t look me in the eye when he couldn’t fix something right away? You broke that poor kid in a way no kid should ever be broken. No. He told me himself. He doesn’t want you to be a part of his life anymore. You lost that right a long time ago, James.” Jack finishes, out of breath, and realizes he now has his fist wadded up in James’ collar. He lets go roughly, sending James stumbling. He turns away to catch his breath, trying to control his emotions. It’s quiet for a second, and then–

 “I won’t approve it. I won’t let you,” James says confidently, and Jack smiles wickedly. _Oh here we go._ Jack whirls on him so suddenly, James flinches. It fills Jack with a sick glee, and he pounces on him in a flash. He grabs him roughly by the collar again, pulling him so close they’re almost nose to nose.

 “Now you listen to me, James MacGyver. You _will_ approve the adoption, and you _will_ sign over your existing parental rights. Because if you don’t, I will make sure that every single person in the state of California knows you for exactly what you are: a cowardly, manipulative, abusive asshole who’s abused his son for over 10 years. I’ll make sure you rot in jail, and I’ll make sure that even if you somehow manage to get out, you’ll never able to find a decent job. I will ruin you and your career, so help me, if you refuse to agree to this adoption. Do you understand me?” James doesn’t answer. He’s gone white as a sheet, and Jack could swear he’s trembling. It makes Jack sick to think that James is so scared of ruining his reputation that this is the first time he looks genuinely terrified. Not at the idea of losing his son, no, but at the idea of losing his prestige. Jack shakes him slightly, growling. “Do. You. Understand?” He nearly roars the last word, and James flinches again.

 “Yes. Yes, I understand. Fine. Take him,” James mumbles weakly, and Jack snorts in disgust and shoves the sniveling coward away from him harshly. James stumbles again, only this time he falls, landing hard on the floor. Jack scoffs, stepping over him on the way to the hallway.

 “Just remember what I said, James. I always follow through, believe me,” he calls loudly, and James doesn’t make a move to get up. “I’m just gonna go grab Mac’s things.” He heads down the hall, quickly finding Mac’s room. He smiles softly when he steps inside. There’s a poster of the periodic table on the wall above the desk, and dozens of post-it notes with different formulas and equations scribbled on them plastered everywhere. Jack makes his way over to the bed, kneeling down and checking under it. He finds a suitcase, and he pulls it out and opens it. Jack knows there’s going to have to be a second trip at some point, but for now this should do. He heads to the dresser and pulls the drawers out all the way, dumping them all into the suitcase in the floor. Not surprisingly, Mac doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of clothes. Jack seethes a bit over that, and makes his way to the closet. There’s just a couple more shirts and some jackets hanging up, and Jack grabs those and lays them on the bed. He grabs the three lonely pairs of shoes off the floor, making a mental note to buy Mac some new shoes soon. At least two of the pairs are worn almost completely through. Jack rummages around the room for another bag, and after a few minutes he finds a duffle bag. He lays Mac’s shirts and jackets into that, putting the shoes on top. He grabs any other random pieces of clothing he sees, and then he moves to the desk. He grabs everything he thinks is important, leaving most of the stationary untouched. Lastly, he grabs a bunch of cords and some books lying around, shoving it all into the dufflebag. He takes one last look around, eyes landing on the red Swiss Army knife sitting on the nightstand. He snags it and slides it into his pocket, and then he grabs the bags and heads out.

 

 It’s only been a couple minutes, and as he passes by the living room, he can see James still sitting on the floor. He rolls his eyes, disgusted at the man who somehow produced a kid as beautiful as Mac. He pulls the front door open, yelling behind him as he does. “I’ll have my lawyer contact you about the court date.” With that, Jack smirks grimly, slamming the door behind him as he steps outside. He walks back to his car with purpose, although a part of him wishes he had slammed his fist into James’ stupid face. But he relishes the image of James ashen and shaking as he shoved him to the floor. It feels a bit like revenge for Mac, and he’s satisfied. He puts all of Mac’s things in the trunk carefully, and he gets in the car and starts it. This time he turns the radio back on. He pulls away with his tires squealing and the radio blaring, a grin on his face as he rolls the window down and sings at the top of his lungs.

  
  


 When he opens the door to his apartment a couple hours later, sans folder and luggage and plus food, he’s greeted by the smell of coffee and the sound of the Tardis. He grins and makes his way into the kitchen, setting the food down on the counter.

 “Mac! Grub’s here!.” There’s a grunted response from the living room, and Jack glances behind him to see a fluff of blond hair peeking out from under a pile of blankets on the couch and an old rerun of Doctor Who on the tv. “Mac, bud. Food’s here. I got Chinese, your favorite.” _That_ gets a response. The blankets shift, and Mac’s face pops out expectantly.

 “You got chicken lo mein?” Jack chuckles.

 “I did.  And orange chicken, too. And I got some shrimp wrapped in bacon, too. Didn’t even know that was a thing till today,” he adds as an afterthought. Apparently it appeals to Mac too, because the boy’s burrowing out of his blanket mound and stumbling over to the kitchen before he’s even finished speaking. Jack laughs, steadying him before he slams into the table. “Whoa, kid, careful!” Mac wrinkles his nose.

 “‘M not a horse, stop doing that,” he grumbles, and Jack wraps him in a teasing headlock.

 “Yeah yeah, whatever you say, kid. Eat your food, and then we can get your stuff outta the car.”

  
 

 Jack leans back against the couch and sighs, his third helping of bacon wrapped shrimp pushing him just over the edge of stuffed. Mac leans against him heavily, and Jack ticks an arm around him.

 “What took you so long?” Mac mumbles quietly, and Jack opens his eyes.

 “Well, after I left James in a heap on the floor—” Mac shoots up in his seat, and Jack waves him off. “Not like that, I didn’t even punch him I swear. I just kinda… shoved him away from me. Hard. And he stumbled. And landed on his stupid butt.” Mac’s mouth twitches, and he rolls his eyes. But Jack can tell he’s pleased at the idea of James getting pushed around a bit. He leans back against Jack again, and Jack takes that as his cue to continue. “So anyways. I left James in a heap, and then I headed over to see my lawyer. I had him go over my paperwork with me, and he’s filing it tonight.” He holds his breath, waiting for Mac’s response. He gets his answer when Mac turns and burrows into his side tightly, and he hears what sounds suspiciously like sniffing against his shoulder. “You okay, kid?” Mac nods against his shoulder.

 “Yeah, just… really happy,” he whispers, and Jack hugs him tighter.

 “Me too, kid. Me too.”

  


 An hour later, after they’ve finished unpacking all of Mac’s things, he gets a text from his lawyer.

 

 **Mr. Brooks:** _Just wanted to let you know that your papers are filed. In a couple days or so they’ll give us a court date and more information about the home investigation. Congratulations, Jack. You’re going to be a dad._

 

 Jack just stares at the text for a full five minutes until it starts to blur from the tears in his eyes. When Mac asks him what’s wrong, Jack just turns the phone towards him and lets him read it himself. Mac stares at it, and then he slowly looks up at Jack. Jack smiles as a couple tears escape down his cheeks, and Mac’s lip trembles when he grins. They sit in silence, letting it sink in. Jack stares wide-eyed at the kid next to him, leaning against him as he watches the tv even though they both know he’s not really seeing it. Jack tucks his chin against Mac’s hair, and the kid hums quietly. Jack smiles.

 

_I’m gonna be a dad._


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are folks!! I hope you liked it so far. Pay attention for some more familiar faces here ;)

 It’s quiet in the courtroom as James MacGyver walks up to the stand. Mac holds his breath, reaching out to grab Jack’s hand tightly. Jack wordlessly squeezes it, and Mac feels himself relax. James grabs the pen off the stand and hunches over the document, and he hesitates. For just one second, Mac is terrified he’s going to change his mind. Then the pen is touching the paper, and James is signing. Mac wants to cry and cheer and jump like a maniac. Six months. Six months of staying with Jack, having a couple in-home visits and meetings with an investigator. Six months since they set this in motion, and finally, _finally_ it’s happening. They’ve spent the last hour signing things that had to be signed in a judge’s presence, answering more questions about home life and finances. All that was left was James’ signature. And now it’s there, it’s done. The judge is talking, but Mac can’t even hear him. He turns to look at Jack, and the man is grinning through the tears in his eyes. Mac catches the last word the judge says– “Congratulations!”, and then he’s launching himself at Jack, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Jack laughs joyfully into his hair, and Mac just hugs him even tighter. _This is my dad_. He pulls away, sniffing and grinning, and Jack ruffles his hair.

 “Come on, kiddo, let’s get outta here.” Jack tucks his arm around Mac’s shoulder, and he leans into him. They make their way out of the courtroom together, a little folder of all their new documents tucked under one of Jack’s arms, and Mac tucked under the other. Mac can hardly believe it. James had left instantly, and Mac can’t help but feel like he’s just let go of the biggest source of pain and stress he’s ever had. James is gone and out of his life, hopefully for good, and he has no more claim to Mac. Jack shakes his shoulder a bit, pulling Mac’s thoughts away from the man who was supposed to be his father and never was.

 “You wanna go celebrate at Larry’s? Or would you rather go home, Mac?” Mac thinks it over.

 “Can we go change my license first? And then Larry’s?” Jack pauses, tilting his head.

 “Sure, why not?” Mac grins, and they head outside.

 

 It’s not that busy at the DMV, so they only have to wait about thirty minutes in line. Mac’s never felt this nervous in his life, and he doesn’t even know why. He wasn’t even this nervous in the courtroom today. _But this makes it really official. It’s actually gonna be on my license_. Jack rests a hand on his back reassuringly as they make their way over to the counter. He signs his new name on the little sheet they give him, to be put on his new license, and he stares at it so long Jack has to take it from him and give it back to the lady. _Angus Dalton._ He hadn’t wanted to keep Angus, but it was what his mom named him and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to change it. But no longer having the same last name as his dad was immensely freeing.

 

 When they walk out twenty minutes later, Mac’s staring at the little paper permit in his hands. It’s got his new name and address printed on it, and it fills him with so much happiness he feels like he could burst. _Angus MacGyver Dalton_ , reads his license. There was no way he was going to stop going by Mac, so they’d compromised by making Macgyver his middle name. He’d never have to use it, it wasn’t anything legal, and he could still go by Mac. For the rest of his life he’s going to go by Mac Dalton, only ever using Angus for legal things. It makes him grin, and he stares at his new name the whole drive to Larry’s. _Jack and Mac Dalton._ He giggles, and Jack shoots him a confused look.

 “Uhhh you okay kid?” Mac just laughs.

 “Perfect.”

 

 It’s like the whole room freezes when they step into Larry’s diner. The entire staff comes to a halt, some of the regulars even turning in their seats to look expectantly at them. Mac tries to keep the grin off his face, but it’s nearly impossible. There’s not a single sound in the whole place, and then Jack slaps his hand down on Mac’s shoulder firmly.

 “Everyone, I’d like you all to meet my son, Mac Dalton.” The whole diner erupts in cheers and applause, and Mac can’t stop the grin now. He looks up at Jack, and the man is beaming like the proudest human being in existence, and Mac feels his eyes well up with tears again. _How did I ever get so lucky._ Sara quickly rushes over hugs them both tightly before shooing them to a table. Mac laughs, falling into the booth happily as Sara rushes off again without even asking what they want. Immediately, they’re swarmed by patrons and employees alike coming over to congratulate them. Mac thinks Jack’s shoulder is bound to be bruised to high heaven with the amount of people slapping it excitedly, but Jack doesn’t even seem to care. He’s beaming from ear to ear, and he keeps glancing over at Mac like he can’t quite believe it’s all real. Mac knows the feeling. He hardly registers all the kind words from everyone, he’s so busy watching Jack the whole time.

 Eventually, everyone trickles back to their seats, and then Sara comes back with Katie in tow. She’s carrying a tray piled high with food, and Mac’s eyes go wide. He opens his mouth to say they hadn’t ordered anything, when she shushes him loudly.

 “Oh hush. This is on us today. You two deserve this, okay? Let us do this for you.” Jack looks like he might cry, and Mac just nods shakily. Sara smiles, and then she’s placing so much food on the table Mac doesn’t even know where to start. Katie sets some coffee down for both of them, and Mac smiles at her. She grins back, mouthing _“congratulations”_ at him before she’s gone again, taking care of another table. He catches Jack smirking at him, and he blushes, taking a sip of his coffee in an attempt to hide it.

 When Mac had first shyly asked Katie why he never saw her at school, she told him she was homeschooled. But after nearly six months of coming to the diner almost every day, they’ve gotten the chance to be a bit closer. She’s even started hanging out with him and Bozer sometimes, and the three of them were becoming a regular nuisance. Or so Jack always said, when they argued over Mario Kart or Halo. Jack had managed to somehow find and buy Mac’s grandfather’s old house, saying if Mac wanted to have friends over he needed more room. Mac had been shocked. He’d never even had more than one friend before, so the idea of having _more_ , and inviting them over was enough to stun him for a good while. But it was a good thing he’d bought it, because Mac and Bozer alone made enough racket to drive their old apartment neighbors nuts, but add in another teenager? They would’ve been kicked out anyway. Mac smiles softly as he thinks about that. And maybe he does have a tiny crush on Katie. The girl’s a year older than him, around the same age as Bozer, and she’s smart and pretty and kind, and she listens to him when he rambles about science and she’s interested in his theories and projects and— he realizes he’s staring at her now, and he can feel Jack watching him. He quickly snaps his head back to the food in front of him.

 But a couple minutes later, Mac notices that _Jack_ ’s staring at someone now. Mac turns his head just slightly to see a tall, dark skinned woman with curly blond hair come in the door. She’s beautiful, even Mac can see that, and he smiles just slightly at the dazed look on Jack’s face. And then he recognizes the young girl at her side. It’s Riley Davis, the new freshman at school that he and Bozer instantly took a liking to. She was sassy and sarcastic and gave both of them a run for their money when it came to smarts. She was a genius with a computer, hacking anything and everything she could get her hands on. Her very first day at school she hacked the electronic sign out front, changing it to say _Welcome, Snotbags!,_ instead of the usual _Welcome, Students!_ Mac and Bozer had laughed hysterically over that, and when they’d found out it was a freshman who did it, and not one of their fellow graduating class for a senior prank, they were awed.

 Riley immediately spots him and drags her mom over excitedly, and Jack’s eyes go wide and he sits up straighter in his chair, and Mac would’ve laughed hysterically if Riley hadn’t suddenly launched herself at him in a bear hug.

 “Mac! Your hearing was today, right?? How did it go?” Her voice is squeaky and shrill and Mac winces, grinning.

 “It went great, Riles. In fact, Riley, say hello to my dad, Jack Dalton.” He gestures at Jack, and Riley squeals again. She reaches a hand out, and Jack looks like he’s melting as he takes her outstretched hand and shakes it.

 “Hi, Mr. Dalton, I’m Riley. I’m new to school, only been here a few weeks, but Mac and Boze took me under their wing immediately. I’ve been really looking forward to meeting you, Mac talks about you nonstop.” Mac notices Riley’s mom’s tight smile, and suddenly the way Riley always seemed so interested in him talking about Jack makes more sense. _She’s in the same situation I was_. He can see Jack sees it, too, and he thinks he can see the exact moment Jack decides that this one is his, too. It makes Mac insanely happy, and he grins when he sees the way Riley’s mom smiles shyly when Jack meets her eyes. Jack stands up, reaching his hand out.

 “Jack, it’s nice to meet you. Mac’s mentioned Riley a lot over the last couple weeks, she sounds like a great girl,” he says sincerely, and Riley’s mom shakes his hand gently.

 “Diane,” she introduces herself. “Riley hasn’t stopped talking about you two since she met Mac, it sounds like you two are wonderful for each other. Congratulations on becoming a dad, Jack,” she says softly, and her voice is musical and Mac can tell Jack is a total goner. He holds her hand a bit longer than is necessary, and when Mac clears his throat awkwardly Jack starts like he’s been shocked. He glances at their still-clasped hands and quickly lets go, blushing hard and mumbling nonsense under his breath. Mac stifles a giggle as Jack sits back down, and he quickly catches Riley’s eye. She raises an eyebrow at him, tilting her head just slightly towards her mom, and Mac sees that Diane is nearly as red as Jack. Mac’s eyes widen, and suddenly it seems he and Riley are telepathically linked. He’s positive they’re both thinking the exact same thing.

 

 So when he gets a text a few minutes later, he’s not surprised to see it’s Riley. He glances up at her across the diner, sitting down with her mom, and she wiggles her eyebrows at him. He smiles, opening her text.

 

 **Riles:** _Operation Parent Trap??_

 

Mac grins. _Definitely thinking the same thing._ He texts back immediately.

 

 **Mac:** _Absolutely._

 

 Mac glances up at Jack and sees him blatantly staring over at Diane’s table, chin in his hand and a faraway look in his eye. Mac shakes his head, smirking. With his birthday coming next week, Mac knows exactly what to do. He sends another text to Riley.

 

 **Mac:** _my birthday is next week, how about I throw a party and invite you and your mom??_

 

 Riley’s response is instantaneous.

 

 **Riles:** _Y E S_

 

 Mac closes his phone and turns back to his food, rolling his eyes at Jack still staring at Diane. _This is going to be the best birthday ever_. He’s got a new dad, new friends, a new home, and a new name. And maybe, just maybe, he might end up with a new little sister. How could he possibly need anything else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more happy stuff:
> 
> Jack and Diane get married a year later, and six months after _that_ , Jack officially adopts Riley
> 
> Mac graduates shortly after being adopted, and heads to MIT for two years before he just can’t take being away from his family anymore. He drops out and comes back home, opening his own repair shop where he repairs and rebuilds, well, pretty much anything and everything. 
> 
> Mac starts dating Katie after he comes back home, and they get married a couple years later and have a bunch of adorable little Mini Macs, and Jack’s the proudest grandfather in the world. 
> 
> Riley starts dating Bozer halfway through college, and they get married a year after Mac and Katie. Jack and Diane and Mac couldn’t be happier to have Bozer officially join the family. 
> 
> (James MacGyver is never seen by any of the Daltons ever again.)


End file.
